Go easy on alcohol
Alcohol raises cancer risk generally. If you drink, the American Cancer Society's cutoff is two drinks a day for men, and less is better than that.[1]American Cancer Society Guideline for Diet and Physical Activity for Cancer Prevention It's also quietly working against almost everything else on this page.
There's no floor where it becomes 'safe'
The ACS guideline isn't a target to hit, it's a ceiling. Cancer risk rises with any amount of alcohol, and the relationship is roughly linear: less is better all the way down to zero, not just below the two-drink cutoff.[1]American Cancer Society Guideline for Diet and Physical Activity for Cancer Prevention
It wrecks your sleep even when it helps you fall asleep
A drink or two can make you fall asleep faster, but it comes at a cost: even low doses measurably delay and shorten REM sleep, and the effect gets worse with more alcohol.[2]Systematic review and meta-analysis: alcohol's effect on subsequent sleep If you're using a nightly drink to wind down, you're trading sleep quality for sleep onset.
Alternate drinks, don't just count them
A glass of water or a non-alcoholic drink between rounds does two things at once: it slows your actual pace and gives your hands something to do, which is most of what makes cutting back socially awkward in the first place.
Set the number before you're in the room
Deciding "two drinks" while you're already holding a third one doesn't work. Pick your limit for the night before you go out, not during.
This page is general information, not medical advice.