- Veteran venture capitalist Marc Andreessen wrote Wednesday that he stopped drinking alcohol 6 months ago.
- Andreessen said he feels much better since he stopped drinking.
Marc Andreessen — the veteran venture capitalist who co-founded the venture firm Andreessen Horowitz — quit drinking six months ago, feels great, but is decidedly not happy about it.
Andreessen shared his thoughts on quitting alcohol in a Substack post titled "On Pausing Alcohol" on Wednesday.
In his post, Andreessen said he never really drank in his 20s and 30s, but "grew to really enjoy whiskey" in his 40s. He joked that one his favorite ways to imbibe was "at night, by myself, at home"— like an alcoholic.
He said he was once quoted saying, "the perfect day is 10 hours of caffeine followed by 4 hours of alcohol" and still deems that statement true.
Despite his love of alcohol, Andreessen's decision to quit rests on the paucity of scientific evidence in favor of drinking.
Andreessen also pointed to the evidence against drinking in his post.
He referenced a podcast episode from neuroscientist Andrew Huberman that distilled the physiological effects of drinking alcohol on the human body and brain.
"Andrew says 'the best amount of alcohol to drink is no alcohol' — imagine someone who both hates and loves humanity that much," Andreessen wrote, adding that he didn't actually listen to Huberman's podcast because the topic made him "so enraged" but read the notes.
Andreessen admitted in his post that since he stopped drinking he feels better, and not only sleeps better, but needs less sleep. He also said he's more alert throughout the day, has more energy when he exercises, and finds it easier to control his diet.
"It's great, and I am super mad about it," he wrote.
Andreessen said that the negative to being so productive is that he finds it hard to sit still, watch a movie, read a book, or unwind at the end of the day. Instead, he said he finds himself working until bedtime.
"One of these days, I am going to get deeply, seriously, hammered, he wrote, "but not today!"