The Safest Amount of Alcohol to Drink

Although Americans are imbibing less than ever, most of us still enjoy a few drinks per week. Recent scientific research, however, has shown that no amount of alcohol is healthy, and addiction remains a serious issue. Should we finally give it all up—or is our love affair with booze here to stay?

View in Browser  Thursday, January 29, 2026 We here at Esquire love a nice drink. Hell, we even collaborated with a bar in New York to make our very own cocktail, the Esquire Manhattan. So, it might come as a surprise that we commissioned an article that examines all the negative effects of alcohol. It's a hot topic in the news, spurred by new government regulations that state no amount of the stuff is good for you. In our latest feature, Esquire contributor Andrew Zaleski puts the new guidelines under a magnifying glass, and even digs into his own troubled past with booze, to answer the question everyone's been asking: Is it time to quit alcohol for good?    —Chris Hatler, deputy editor Plus: What ICE did to Alex Pretti is somehow even worse than we thought Immigration enforcement might become a litmus test in the Maine Senate race A$AP Rocky is living his American dream The Undeniable Benefits of Quitting Drinking for Good Recent scientific research has shown that no amount of alcohol is healthy, and addiction remains a serious issue. Should we finally give it all up—or is our love affair with booze here to stay? Our relationship with alcohol is changing. Americans are suddenly attuned to years of research showing that no amount of alcohol is safe, and younger generations especially are turning away from the stuff, according to the IWSR. Just 54 percent of Americans report drinking regularly, while roughly the same percentage believes even moderate drinking is bad for you. Gallup polling from 2025 shows that Americans consume, on average, 2.8 drinks per week, the lowest figure recorded in 30 years.   A question that would've seemed ridiculous just five years ago during the height of our booze-laden pandemic lockdown appears to be at the forefront these days: Is it time to quit alcohol for good? READ THE STORY CDs are coming back into fashion as more than just a collectors item. If you want to feel closer to your favorite artists, Bryn Gelbart recommends these CD players to play your collection. >> Ira Parker, the showrunner of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, has brought comedy to the Game of Thrones series. Josh Rosenberg talks to him about how he found a different direction for the new HBO show. >> 12 Citrus Colognes for Year-Round Vacation Vibes Picture this: It's prime summer, and instead of sweating out all the fluids in your pores in the middle of some city, you're lounging by the water, on the beach. Ideally a Mediterranean beach, and you're dipping your toes into the cool blue water of the sea. It smells fresh and clean and bright. And, of course, citrusy. Even if you can't create that paradise for yourself this summer physically, you sure can try to evoke it in your everyday life with a citrusy fragrance. We're talking about a scent that'll make you smell the sea salt on your skin, the breeze in your hair, and the sand between your toes. A cocktail with fresh oranges or lemons in hand, of course. You can get that feeling in a bottle, and you don't have to save it for the summer months. By Esquire Editors What Would Marty Reisman Think of Marty Supreme? When I watched the table-tennis matches in Marty Supreme, I flashed back to one of my own epic battles with Marty Reisman, the man who inspired the movie. It was the early 2000s, and we were on opposite sides of a Ping-Pong table in the basement of a Manhattan apartment building. Marty had on his trademark Panama hat, his shirtsleeves rolled up. He was 70 years old and stoop-shouldered, not exactly in his prime. Things were not looking good for Marty. By A.J. Jacobs Follow Us Unsubscribe | Manage Preferences | Privacy Notice | CA Notice at Collection Esquire is a publication of Hearst Magazines. ©2026 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This email was sent by Hearst Magazines, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019-3779