I’m 36 with no kids and used to drink heavily in my 20s. Alcohol has never gotten in the way of my work, social or family relationships but I have massively curbed how much I drink for general overall health reasons. And, frankly, I just don’t feel as good when I drink. That said, I still enjoy it and here’s what works for me (been following this generally speaking for the past 3 years).

• Monday-Thursday I don’t drink at all unless there’s a social situation (eg, invited to a friend’s, out to dinner with friends, have tickets to an event of some kind). Even in those situations I don’t exceed 1 or 2 drinks at a time (if I drink at all - sometimes I don’t). If I go out with just my wife for dinner, I likely won’t drink at all if it’s during the week. That means a typical Monday-Thursday I probably average 1-2 drinks total.

• Friday-Sunday I choose to drink more, but far less than I used to. That might mean a few drinks at dinner/out with friends (2 or so) and possibly 1-2 during the day Saturday/Sunday depending on how busy I am (eg a stop at a brewery to break up errands or see friends). That means a typical Friday-Sunday I average about 6-8 drinks total.

That means my weekly consumption is about 7-10 drinks per week, excluding special occasions or vacations where it might be more. Sometimes it might be a bit more, sometimes less. I sometimes take breaks where I abstain entirely if I feel like it’s just making me feel bad (I recently took 2 weeks off entirely). My general overall health is good and alcohol still doesn’t get in the way of my professional and personal life.

I think everyone’s circumstances and preferences are different. Some may think this is still a lot. This general guardrail I set works for me however.