The Myth About Alcohol

Does Drinking Lead to Longevity?

By Donna Wright

Edited and Approved by Stephen C. Rose PhD

Put the Wine Glass Down if You Want to Live Longer

We have all heard the story about someone who lived to 100 and credited a nightly glass of wine. Anecdotes like that are memorable, but they are not evidence. Current public-health guidance does not support drinking alcohol as a longevity strategy. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that even moderate drinking may increase the risk of death and other alcohol-related harms compared with not drinking, and it advises people who do not currently drink not to start for any reason. [1] The World Health Organization (WHO) likewise states that no form of alcohol use is risk-free and that alcohol plays a causal role in more than 200 diseases, injuries, and other health conditions. [2]

What the Numbers Actually Show

Excessive alcohol use causes about 178,000 deaths each year in the United States. [3] WHO also notes that alcohol is causally involved in more than 200 diseases, injuries, and other health conditions. [2] The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines heavy drinking as 4 or more drinks on any day or 8 or more drinks per week for women, and 5 or more drinks on any day or 15 or more drinks per week for men. [4] Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a medical condition marked by an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite health, social, or occupational consequences. [5]

Alcohol and Sleep

Alcohol may help some people fall asleep faster, especially at higher doses, yet that does not mean it improves sleep quality. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis found that low-dose alcohol reduced REM sleep, while higher doses could shorten sleep onset latency at the cost of greater REM disruption later in the night. [6] So the evidence-based message is not that alcohol helps people sleep better; it is that alcohol can disrupt normal sleep architecture even when it makes people feel sleepy at first. [6]

Physical Health Risks and Chronic Disease

The old idea that red wine is a health food does not hold up well in light of current evidence. CDC notes that newer studies do not show health benefits of moderate drinking compared with not drinking, and even low levels of alcohol can raise the risk of some cancers. [1] In 2025, the U.S. Surgeon General concluded that alcohol consumption increases the risk of at least seven cancers, including cancers of the breast, colorectum, esophagus, liver, mouth, throat, and larynx. [7] CDC also reports that more than 20,000 people die from alcohol-related cancers in the United States each year. [8]

For people who drink heavily, reducing intake can produce measurable health benefits. A systematic review and meta-analysis found that lowering alcohol consumption reduced blood pressure in a dose-dependent way, with the clearest benefit in people drinking more than two drinks per day. [9] For alcohol-associated liver disease, abstinence remains the central treatment goal. [10] The liver does have regenerative capacity, and recovery after alcohol removal is possible. [10,11]

Alcohol, Calories, and Weight

Alcohol can meaningfully increase calorie intake without providing much nutritional value. MedlinePlus notes that a 12-ounce regular beer has about 153 calories and a 5-ounce serving of white table wine has about 128 calories; some mixed drinks are much higher. [12] Cutting back on alcohol can therefore reduce calorie intake, but weight loss is not automatic. It depends on total diet, portion size, physical activity, and what replaces those alcohol calories. [12]

Mental Health and Cognitive Health

Alcohol is linked not only to physical illness but also to mental-health and behavioral problems. WHO lists depression, anxiety, and alcohol use disorders among alcohol-related health risks. [2] Alcohol can worsen mental health for some people, and heavy or uncontrolled use should be taken seriously as a clinical issue. [2,5]

The same caution applies to cognition. High-risk alcohol use and AUD are associated with increased risk of cognitive impairment and dementia, particularly earlier-onset cases. [13] At lower levels of drinking, however, the literature is mixed, and studies in older adults do not show a simple, consistent dose-response story among current drinkers. [14] So the responsible takeaway is not "never drink and you will avoid dementia," but rather that heavier alcohol misuse clearly raises cognitive risk and there is no compelling evidence to start drinking for brain health. [1,13,14]

Bottom Line

Alcohol is not a proven path to longevity. The strongest evidence-based version of the message is this: if you do not drink, do not start for health reasons; if you do drink, less is generally lower risk than more; and if drinking is hard to control, it is worth treating as a medical issue rather than a harmless habit. [1,2,5]

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About moderate alcohol use. Atlanta (GA): CDC; 2025.

World Health Organization. Alcohol. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2024.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Facts about U.S. deaths from excessive alcohol use. Atlanta (GA): CDC; 2024.

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The basics: defining how much alcohol is too much. Bethesda (MD): National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; 2025.

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Understanding alcohol use disorder. Bethesda (MD): National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Gardiner C, et al. The effect of alcohol on subsequent sleep in healthy adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Med Rev. 2025;80:102030.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General. Alcohol and cancer risk: the U.S. Surgeon General's advisory. Washington (DC): U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2025.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Alcohol and cancer. Atlanta (GA): CDC; 2026.

Roerecke M, Kaczorowski J, Tobe SW, Gmel G, Hasan OSM, Rehm J. The effect of a reduction in alcohol consumption on blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Public Health. 2017;2:e108-e120.

Jophlin LL, Singal AK, Bataller R, et al. ACG Clinical Guideline:  Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease. Am J Gastroenterol. 2024;119(1):30-54.

Thomes PG, et al. Natural Recovery by the Liver and Other Organs after Chronic Alcohol Use. Alcohol Res. 2021;41(1):05.

Nielsen S, Brian K,  Fakhouri T, Ogden, C Calories Consumed from Alcoholic Beverages by U.S. Adults, 2007-2010  

 Kilian C, Klinger S, Rehm J, Manthey J. Alcohol use, dementia risk, and sex: a systematic review and assessment of alcohol-attributable dementia cases in Europe. BMC Geriatr. 2023;23(1):246.

Mewton L, et al. The relationship between alcohol use and dementia in adults aged more than 60 years: a combined analysis of prospective, individual-participant data from international studies. Addiction. 2023;118(4):707-720.