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Scientists Have Figured Out Exactly How Much Time Drinking Takes Off Your Life
Recently, there's been a lot of talk about the negative effects of drinking alcohol. In December of last year, the U.S. Surgeon General released an advisory warning about the direct relationship between alcohol consumption and cancer. Around the same time, new research challenged long-held beliefs about the safety of moderate drinking.
In a study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, Dr. Tim Stockwell and colleagues found that even low levels of alcohol consumption are linked to increased mortality. Dr. Stockwell later estimated, in media interviews, how this risk might translate into days or years of life lost depending on drinking level. He told the Daily Mail that consuming just two drinks per week may shorten your life by three to six days.
And unfortunately, for frequent imbibers, the numbers get even bleaker. According to Dr. Stockwell's comments to the media, if a person were to drink seven alcoholic beverages a week (beer, wine, or spirits), they risk cutting their life expectancy by two and a half months. A person who drinks 35 alcoholic beverages a week could shorten their life by two years, based on his interpretation of the research.
Dr. Stockwell told the Daily Mail that these numbers are averages, and some people could end up luckier than others. He discouraged people from considering alcohol as something that is okay or even healthy to consume in moderation.
The CDC defines moderate drinking as one drink or less per day for women and two or less for men. For years, moderate drinking was considered okay, if not beneficial. However, Dr. Stockwell's research—and a 2023 meta-analysis he co-authored, which analyzed 107 studies from over 40 years—disputed that belief.
"Dr. Stockwell's review of years of research really challenges the old idea that a little alcohol is good for you. What he and his team found is that even small amounts of alcohol can shorten your lifespan," Dr. Raj Dasgupta, Chief Medical Advisor for Sleepopolis tells Delish.
Dr. Dasgupta explains that both how much you drink and how often you drink impacts life expectancy. And as drinking increases, he says there's a greater risk to long-term health, such as liver problems, cancer, heart disease, and accidents.
"Alcohol's effect on each person is different. My advice: if you do drink, try to keep it in moderation," he says.
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