Elon Musk Calls Alcohol Poison But Shares This In Common With Bill Gates

A Twitter thread about eliminating alcohol consumption by entrepreneur and investor Marc Andreessen caught the attention of Elon Musk. Here’s what Musk had to say about alcohol and how Bill Gates factors into the sector.

What Happened: Elon Musk and Bill Gates might have something in common when it comes to drinking alcohol, with moderation the key.

They also have wealth in common with both among the richest people in the world.

Andreessen shared in a Twitter thread that he stopped drinking alcohol six months ago.

“I feel much better, and I’m mad as hell about it. I never really drank through my 20s and 30s, but grew to really enjoy whiskey through my 40s, coincident with ‘Mad Men,’ and roughly a thousand academic studies that proved that alcohol is actually good for you,” Andreessen tweeted.

Andreessen said his quote of “The perfect day is 10 hours of caffeine followed by 4 hours of alcohol” has been widely used and might still be true.

“In recent years, it’s become clear that most or all — probably all — of the scientific studies on the benefits of alcohol are fake, the scientists unwitting or witting victims of selection effects.”

Andreessen said he feels better since giving up alcohol and has gotten better sleep.

Musk replied to the tweet with his own thoughts on alcohol.

“Once you acknowledge that alcohol is poison, it’s fine to drink a little. The trade is a small amount of health for an even smaller amount of fun, but that’s not crazy to do once in a while with friends,” Musk said.

Musk called alcohol “a legacy drug” in his tweet.

In a 2018 “ask me anything” on Reddit, Bill Gates said he wasn’t much of a beer drinker.

“I am not a big beer drinker. When I end up at something like a baseball game I drink light beer to get with the vibe of all the other beer drinkers. Sorry to disappoint real beer drinkers,” Gates said at the time.

Gates comments were in the news recently with the billionaire investing in Heineken N.V. HEINY, one of the largest global brewers.

Comments from both Musk and Gates suggest they only choose to drink when they are with friends or at social events.

Related Link: 51 Facts And Figures About Elon Musk 

The Impact of Beer: Gates investment in Heineken drew mixed reactions due to his comments on beer and a study funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that showed there are no benefits and only risks for young adults drinking alcohol.

In 2022, a study of people under the age of 40 showed that drinking even two teaspoons of wine per day or two and a half tablespoons of beer per day could risk future health. The study was published in the Lancet medical journal, as reported by Fortune. 

Another research report published by the New York Times showed similar results that any amount of alcohol consumption can be harmful to health.

The study found that alcohol damages DNA and can prevent the body from repairing the damage. This can lead to long-term health problems such as cancer. Other harmful items can include high blood pressure, coronary artery disease and liver disease.

Read Next: Elon Musk Calls Banning Drugs A Net Societal Negative Just Like Dumb Alcohol Prohibition 

Photo: Elon: Daniel Oberhaus via WikiCommons; Gates, via Shutterstock