I think the whole “alcohol is poison” thing is too black and white.
Social connection is one of the most important factors for your physical health.
If having a beer with your friends promotes that connection, good for you.
If it doesn’t, also good for you.
The point: Do you.
I’ve personally reduced my alcohol consumption about 90-95%, but if I’m with a new or old friend and they want to share a drink of something special, I’m in.
Further, as a society, I think that we should worry less about the couple of beers we drink per month and more about the fact that we stare at phone screens all day, argue on social media with strangers, consume too much sugar, and are far more sedentary than our ancestors.
The silent productivity killer you've never heard of...
Attention Residue (and 4 strategies to fight back):
The concept of "attention residue" was identified by Dr. Sophie Leroy in 2009.
The idea is simple:
There is a cognitive cost to shifting your attention from one task to another. When our attention is shifted, a "residue" remains and impairs our performance on the new task.
It's relatively easy to find examples of this effect in your own life:
You get on a call but are still thinking about the prior call.
An email pops up during meeting and derails your focus.
You check your phone during a lecture and can't refocus afterwards.