Moderate alcohol consumption is enough to permanently erode motivation and imagination

Noticed a pattern: every time I drink, I end up in a funk.

Most of the time, I don’t even experience hangover effects, but recently, I’ve observed that my motivation plummets and my thoughts stagnate for about 3-8 weeks after a night of drinking. Let me clarify—I rarely drink, maybe 2-3 times a year, and by “night of drinking,” I mean just a couple of pints over a few hours.

This is significant though because it suggests that having a lifestyle that includes just four drinking sessions a year could be enough to permanently wreck anyone’s motivation and, consequently, their life.

For context, I’m in my 30s, and I suspect this kind of effect worsens with age.

Has anyone else noticed this?