A couple of glasses of wine

If you haven’t been keeping up with the cultural zeitgeist, you may have missed a truly defining piece of news. Diary of a CEO host, Steven Bartlett, had a couple of glasses of wine. 

That’s not a sassy understatement of a bigger story. That is literally it.  

On a recent episode of the try-hard podcast, Bartlett admitted that indulging in two glasses of vino had “ruined three days of [his] life”.

The response has been deservedly cutting. One YouTube commenter wrote “men used to go to war, now a glass of wine ruins their next 3 days”. Celebrities (OK, UK radio presenters) eagerly took the opportunity to mock. National news outlets commissioned think pieces on the topic. 

And honestly, yeah, fair enough. Online pile ons can be vicious, but if you say something stupid on such a public platform, you should probably be prepared to be roasted.

What Bartlett is describing is drinking in your 30s. He reports worse sleep, poorer eating habits, lower performance at work, and skipping the gym. Or as it’s otherwise known, a Friday.

If you want to avoid these things, that’s completely fair enough. They are grim. And while they may be a fair price to pay for the night of your life, it’s understandable that the same calculation doesn’t apply for a quick snifter at your local.

The issue appears to be less about avoiding alcohol, and more about the joyless, pious, data-obsessed culture behind it. From Bartlett to the Enhanced Games, the idea of being healthy has moved from sensible life choice to cult-like devotion.

Again, a caveat. If you’ve ever used a WHOOP and seen the impact alcohol has, it really does change your view of drinking. It’s easy to see how access to such data can lead to someone becoming a wellness automaton.

The answer is surely to strive for something we’ve become pretty bad at - balance. Waking up fresh, going to the gym, and eating healthily is great. So is 4-6 pints with your mates. 

A little of both is surely the best way to go.