On drinking

What should we drink or not?

For eating is pretty much everyone has some sort of idea. Fast foods are bad. Avoid carbs and sugars as much as you can.

But, drinking is problematic. 

Coffee is a cultural norm. If you are working especially in an office environment (pre-Covid), coffee is everywhere. You need to drink and sync with your colleagues. If you tried, drink coffee. If you bored, go for coffee shop and drink …

Alcohol is also very accessible in the tech industry. The parties, events, or building the relationship with prospect clients & partnership alcohol is still is a thing. If you want to relaxed, get a glass of wine. If you are going out, you need to take a shot of your shot (based on your hard liquor preferences)

When I have a question like that, I always ask what people I value their opinion think? 

Check out my highlights from the books/articles I saved on my readwise.io, which includes the “drinking” keyword. 

“As to liquid, my rule is drink no liquid that is not at least a thousand years old— so its fitness has been tested. I drink just wine, water, and coffee.” (fool.com, Peculiar Habits of Incredibly Successful People- Nassim Taleb)

Green tea technically covers a wide range of beverages, from sencha to jasmine to oolong tea. Drinking two to three cups of green tea a day is associated with a 44 percent reduced risk of developing colon cancer.” (William W Li, Eat to Beat Disease: The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself)

Individuals who drank one and a half to two beers per day were found to have a 60 percent reduction in the risk of dementia and an 87 percent reduced risk of being diagnosed specifically with Alzheimer’s disease. The same caution for wine goes for beer: high intake levels are dangerous to your health. Be a light or moderate drinker. Alcohol itself is a brain toxin and can increase the risk of dementia at high doses.” (William W Li, Eat to Beat Disease: The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself)

You can build good habits. Not drinking alcohol will help keep your mood more stable. Not eating sugar will keep your mood more stable. Not going on Facebook, Snapchat, or Twitter will keep your mood more stable. Playing video games will make you happier in the short run–and I used to an avid gamer–but in the long run, it could ruin your happiness. You’re being fed dopamine and having dopamine withdrawn from you in these little uncontrollable ways. Caffeine is another one where you trade long term for the short term.” (killingbuddha.co, Chief Executive Philosopher: Naval Ravikant on the Skill of Happiness — Killing Buddha)

Forty-four percent of students binge-drink, and more than 1,800 U.S. college students die every year from alcohol-related injuries. Another 600,000 are injured while under the influence of alcohol. It’s a huge issue. If most students were uncomfortable with the drinking culture, then why was it happening in the first place? Why were students drinking so much if they don’t actually like it? Because behavior is public and thoughts are private.” (Jonah Berger, Contagious: Why Things Catch On)

So based on some of my highlights. What do you think should we drink or not?