Dr. Peter Attia — His Rules for Alcohol Consumption (How Much, When, and More)

Dr. Attia received his medical degree from the Stanford University School of Medicine and trained for five years at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in general surgery, where he was the recipient of several prestigious awards, including Resident of the Year. He spent two years at the National Institutes of Health as a surgical oncology fellow at the National Cancer Institute, where his research focused on immune-based therapies for melanoma.

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ABOUT TIM:
Tim Ferriss is one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and an early-stage tech investor/advisor in Uber, Facebook, Twitter, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ other companies. He is also the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers: The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Chef, Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentors. The Observer and other media have named him “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, which has exceeded 900 million downloads and been selected for “Best of Apple Podcasts” three years running.

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[jasonstallworth]

Man, I really appreciate this. So many are on one extreme or the other (kind of like most things these days). This is a sensible approach and similar to what I follow. I love craft beer, and there's a time and place for most everything.

[jameslefleur]

Finally a short Peter Attia video. Straight to the point :-)

[Ratgodx]

I had to plain stop drinking. I fucking miss it, but it was fucking up my life.

[jamiecameron]

31 and I've partied quite a lot in the past. This year I've only drank on two occasions with one of those days of me being pretty drunk. This was however for a friends engagement party and it was a day I'll always remember. My point being, instead of going completely teetotal (unless you want really want or need too) just drink on special occasions. Holidays, big events etc. It makes those moments a lot more special as it feels like a reward and has no guilt attached.

[tombaker]

As someone that maintains a relatively healthy diet, gets in 4-5 1 hour workouts every week, stays observant of my mental health, etc. I really enjoy having 1 or 2 nights a month over-indulging in alcohol with a great group of friends. It may shorten my life by a few years but if I think back, those are some of my most enjoyable memories. Now you could make the argument that the same could be experienced without alcohol, but there seems to be another layer that gets peeled back when everyone is indulging and having a good time until 2 or 3 am. The shared hangover the next day, while occasionally terrible, creates its own humorous bonding experience shared with friends that I also don't mind.

[brocklastname]

Stayed up til 1030PM? What a party animal!

[aubreyj.tennant]

I love the Doc’s take on this! I too cannot get good sleep if I have a drink past 7pm. And or food! Trade offs are a great negotiation! 😊🙏🏼

[michaelgoalie]

Good one ! Peter Attia is great. Super informative and a realist. We can’t all be perfect but as long as we do things in moderation and be conscious of our actions, we can stay fairly healthy.

[fredericperrin]

Sensible discussion, thank you. People do get extreme on this issue. For me, it's wine only, pretty much nothing else and no hard liquor at all. And usually most of it before 6pm. Alcohol does affect your sleep, which can be a problem (you feel sleepy about 2 hours after drinking, and then you wake up in the middle of the night and can't sleep again). But drinking a good wine with good food with people you like is a wonderful experience. If doing that a 2-3 times a week means reducing your life expectancy by a few years, then I am very happy to do it.

[mthomas]

This is sensible advice, and even pretty close to how I live my life now (no drinks Su-Thu, typically 1-3 drinks Friday and/or Saturday, with the exception of hosting guests, vacation, holidays, etc.), but I think the reason people react negatively to it is the delivery...

[purpleman]

I can say that you don´t totally understand how impactful alcohol is until you quit partying hard and reduce alcohol consumption to just one or two beers in rare days. When you get used to the wonderful feeling of being fit and clean, you notice the contrast just with the first strong beer. Immediatly you feel sluggish, and your daily routines, which you usually love because they make you feel focus, suddendly start feeling boring and you feel prompted to wrong directions. Another times, you have an unnatural urge to exercize again even after your daily workout, in the hands of an artificial strenght.

Really, alcohol is a life disrupter

[Journeymanlive]

I love Peter's work ! I'd really love for him to explore the balance of good vs bad in very low dose of alcohol. He says ALL quantities can link to worst health, but I'm wondering about its hormesis effect if is has any, or simply the nutrient side of an alcoholic drink ( good bacterial intake of beer, flavonoid of wine etc). and also the occasional anti-depressant effect both chemical and through the joy of gastronoy, and lastly the social bonding. At very low dose, occasionnaly, I wonder if the inflammatory sides are lower than the good sides of the "benefits" I listed. cheers

[phxrsx]

The anxiety the next day is what's keeping me from drinking.

[MrLucky-evdo]

Paul Newman said it best in the Movie "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" when he told "Big Daddy": I drink until "It's like a switch, clickin' off in my head. Turns the hot light off and the cool one on, and all of a sudden there's peace". That's was the it for me. I don't care much for drinking unless I can have enough to click the switch. I did it for decades but decided when I passed 72 years old and was still in good health, I'd better back off. I can't say I really feel different other than my wife saying I sleep better. But I do miss being able throw the switch.

[baby_illinois]

yeah this is a really good way of doing it, i do the exact same and i'm only 25. there is very little reason to have more than 2 drinks in a sitting. and there is very little reason to have more than 7 in a week. however im much more lenient on the 7 per week rule than the 2 in a night rule. the beauty of this is, even if you drink every day, at only 2 drinks per sitting, you are still right at or below the 14 drinks per week that scientists have found is not too much for the body to handle (if you are a male like me). i used to drink like a champion but i think eventually most people naturally outgrow that. but even when you do "outgrow" it, you have to be conscious of what you're consuming. once i put these rules in place for myself i've felt so much better.

[slf_rldtv]

Drinking seems like yesterdays way of having fun. As I mature I don’t see any value in alcohol. My health is currently more important. But this is definitely a great way to do it responsibility. Thoughtful and deliberate

[jamesvm]

Hearing this coming from someone who is into health & fitness & longevity is extremely comforting, being someone who is also into health & fitness but also enjoys a few drinks every now and then. Most health influencers would just tell you to avoid alcohol completely but that's unrealistic for most ppl

[ocwronski]

Great goal and plan. I’m hoping to follow this.

[lenimbery]

Nice to find a video with actual practical advice regarding this....I've been trying to cut down on my alcohol consumption and I've established a very similar set of rules....you give me more hope than listening to the total abstinence messages I've seen elsewhere

[kimcreate]

Good advice, last year I decreased my wine consumption by 90%. It always interfered with sleep and it wasn’t worth it. Also, never more than 2 if I do decide to drink.