Why Fit Men Over 40 Are Ditching Alcohol for Good

I don't know a whole lot of guys [music] who I'm aspiring to become look like body comp wise who are regular significant drinkers. Alcohol intake at least until recently, things are changing, is the one [music] it's the one drug that if you don't consume it as an adult, people often [music] You get shamed. >> off are put off by that. Right? They they they're like, "Hey, like what's wrong with you?" kind of thing or like, "I thought real men drink." or something like that. The interesting thing and the positive thing about quitting drinking for me, and I haven't drank not one [music] not one drink in almost 7 years now, is that it taught me how to sit in my feelings and cope with the stress and come up with solutions. debated and it continues to be debated whether alcohol uh is good or bad for longevity. Last week another study saying champagne was good for longevity, I think it was or uh but plenty of studies recently showing that um alcohol increases cancer risk so much that the um federal government now it's talk uh talking about putting this on any uh on the label of any alcohol-containing drink. I have an issue with that. >> Yeah. Uh about putting that on the label? >> Yeah. Yeah. Please share. So, [snorts] we can't lump alcoholic beverages into this single bucket. Um the literature on red wine specifically, man, you would be hard-pressed to find carcinogenic effects uh from red wine either epidemiologically or interventionally uh and even down to like the mechanistic uh in vitro stuff. Like Yeah. Tumorigenesis, anything like that. It it actually has anti-cancer effects. Uh [snorts] and you know, even the brain shrinking threat of of alcohol intake red wine consumers actually in a in a what at least one controlled trial showed improvements in uh neuropsychological tests. And so, um I don't think we can say alcohol as a group. We we have to sort of look at the individual drinks cuz I'm I'm sure there's differences between red wine versus some other some other alcoholic beverage. But but people study the crap out of red wine and there's almost nothing but good stuff that comes out of the red wine literature. Who knows how how biased it might be commercially or other? Uh but I >> [music] >> that's another thing. I I don't like to dismiss studies based on funding source, but the red wine literature is almost all positive. Uh I feel like I have to um push on this a little bit. Um I have a theory, which is that the um [music] the controversies in the alcohol around the alcohol literature and longevity, in my mind could boil down to something as simple as sleep disruption. For instance, drinkers have more inflammation um but [music] in those particular studies, perhaps I'm I'm speculating here, uh they're drinking with dinner and we know that disrupts sleep architecture, reduces REM sleep, deep sleep. I mean, this has just been shown over and over again. And chronically over time, especially on a backdrop of a high-stress lifestyle, perhaps [music] leads to more systemic inflammation and poor health outcomes. In another culture, maybe in Sardinia or something or in one of these, dare I say, blue zones, people perhaps are eating um and drinking and um living longer and have lower inflammation because, you know, they might drink just as close to sleep, but they have a smoother uh lower-stress entrance into the next day. And so, the disruption of sleep might not be a problem. There's an afternoon nap in many of those cultures. So, when I look at sleep as kind of the foundation of mental health and physical health, which is clearly [music] it's at least one of the layers of the foundation, I then wonder whether or not that the alcohol studies can be evaluated just strictly on the basis of of the measures that are being taken. And that if we start to think about the context in which alcohol consumption is occurring, social context, [music] sleep hours, stress and lifestyle, genetic predisposition to cancers, etc., high processed food, you [music] know, and on and on and on, I wonder whether or not some of this is going to shake out in the noise, as we say. I I need to qualify it. It's I agree with all that. And and >> [music] >> here's the thing, like my statements on alcohol mainly had to do with red wine and cancer. Mhm. So, if we look at a typical what what would be considered a moderate amount of drinking, um one to two glasses a day for little people and then let's say two to three glasses a day for larger people. That that is sort of the kind of the moderation models for those for those two. Regardless of what red wine or not or something else, there is a degree of disinhibition that occurs with um drinking that can make you say, "Ah, screw it." and potentially have you just wipe out the entire pasta plate, for example. [music] And so, there's that the disin- disinhibition piece >> [music] >> and there's also the inherent calories piece to where I don't know a whole lot of guys who I'm aspiring to become look like body comp wise who are regular significant drinkers. Most of the Most of them barely drink. Okay, so that's sort of the observational side of things. And then there's the addiction side of things where you read the stats on the percentage of the general population that has some degree of alcohol use disorder. It's some staggering [music] percentage, 10%. So, in a room of 10 people, chances are one of them is going to have alcohol use disorder. That's gnarly. Um And it's the easiest addiction to mask because >> [music] >> you know, alcohol is so freely available. It's everywhere and people don't It's glamorized. >> It's the one alcohol intake at least until recently, things are changing, [music] is the one it's the one drug, cuz alcohol is a drug, then again caffeine's a drug, it's the one drug that if you don't consume it as an adult, people often uh You get shamed. >> off are put off by that. Right? They they they're like, "Hey, like what's wrong with you?" kind of thing or like, "I thought real men drink." or something like that. Um and my my So, I quit drinking a long time ago and I didn't have alcohol use disorder, but I didn't like it cuz I wouldn't sleep well. I like to train in the morning. So, when people would say like, "You don't drink? What's wrong with you?" and I said, "No, I train in the morning while you're sleeping." and then let's check in at I I used to be a little in my 30s, I was kind of cocky. So, at meetings, you know, I'd >> [music] >> say they'd be like, "Oh, you're going home at 9:00 p.m. on the first night." I'm like, "Yeah, but let's check in on Wednesday of this 5-day meeting. Let's let's look at how you're hanging in there versus how I'm hanging in there." And um so, I was always interested in the long arc of things, >> [music] >> how I could maintain eight or nine out of 10 performance, maybe even 10 out of 10 performance >> [music] >> day after day after day after day. Not necessarily a healthy mentality, but you know, this is what happens if you have, you know, my my mentality and and I think it's typical of many people. So, for me drinking was a hindrance to [music] life performance. I think for many people alcohol is the way that they mesh with the people around them and I respect the fact that that exists, that it's it's hard to be the odd person out. [music] It can be socially isolating and social connection's important. Here's what I found with with quitting alcohol, couple of funny things. Number one, I did get shamed. I was in the Dominican Republic uh and at the dinner table and I I I like pina coladas, you know. >> [laughter] >> Virgin pina coladas. So, I ordered a virgin pina colada and the server just like cracked up and and laughed at me and made fun of me for for doing a virgin drink. So, I actually have gotten shamed for uh ordering a virgin pina colada. Um but one of the reasons that I would was afraid to quit is because I thought that events would lose their fun. Uh I felt like I would sort of lose my uh ability to you know, be be social and and have fun and and have the same degree of uh you know, it's a weird thing. You you don't know until you quit drinking that things are just as fun. You're obviously you're lucid >> [music] >> and you take a lot more in and you can you know, you you can enjoy everything moment to moment and there's no lost patches [music] of time. And uh the interesting thing and the the positive thing about quitting drinking for me, and I haven't drank not one not one drink in almost 7 years now come August is that it taught me how to sit in my feelings [music] and cope with the stress and come up with solutions. Whereas prior to that, oh, I know the solution, put the alcohol band-aid on it. But I think that it impairs character building, it impairs uh >> [music] >> problem-solving capabilities. It impairs coping capabilities and um I think those are super important for just basically, you know, being an adult. >> [laughter] >> And so, those were kind of the hidden benefits that I experienced from quitting alcohol on top of having better training sessions, having better training recovery, consuming 1,000 calories less per day or almost 1,000 calories less per day, improvements in body composition, just mental health, all departments of life just kicked up and improved after I quit drinking. [music] But I see, I was one of those one in 10 who got into the drinking routine and I'm one of those guys, if I like something, I'll have it every [music] day. I'll do it every day. Like uh I'm probably going to have either coffee and or eggs every day for the the rest of my life. Same thing happened with alcohol, but the thing with alcohol is you have to try to maintain the buzz which increases over time because of tolerance, as you know. So, that was the issue. Uh you know, with with me and alcohol. So, Well, thanks for sharing that. I again, we're not here to ram anything down anyone's throat, but um I think there are many >> I think that many people can do alcohol in moderation. I just was one of them who was much better off quitting. Great. Well, I appreciate you sharing that uh very much so.

The relationship between alcohol and longevity has always been messy. One week it’s red wine saving your heart, the next it’s alcohol increasing cancer risk and destroying your sleep. The truth, like most things in health, depends on context. In this conversation, we explore why alcohol science remains so divided and what actually happens when you quit. You’ll learn how even moderate drinking can quietly affect sleep architecture, inflammation, and recovery and why those changes add up over decades. From red wine’s potential antioxidants to the unseen cost of disrupted REM cycles, this video breaks down what alcohol does to your brain, body, and long-term health. There’s also a personal side to this. The decision to stop drinking isn’t just about performance or physique, it’s about clarity, coping, and control. Many men fear that quitting means losing fun or connection, but the opposite tends to happen. Energy returns, sleep normalizes, and you start to see what socializing feels like without the blur. Whether you drink casually or are reconsidering your habits, this discussion aims to show how alcohol fits into the bigger picture of longevity, performance, and the pursuit of a stronger, clearer life. Join #1 men’s community for strength, fitness & longevity. Ask questions, share knowledge, and get support to stay strong for life https://www.skool.com/theory-of-man-5968 Subscribe for more practical, science-backed tips to improve your health and well-being: https://www.youtube.com/@UCgT9oGaVMnQovXUCLPMJu_A Podcast Host: Andrew Huberman YouTube: @HubermanLab #longevity #quittingalcohol #menshealth #fitnessperformance