Two Percent with Michael Easter
Is Alcohol Actually Bad for You? The Truth About Drinking, Social Media & Diet Soda
23 Apr 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What are the different perspectives on alcohol consumption?
Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host, Keir Gaines. This space is about Black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing, how many men
carry a suit of armor it signals to the world that you not to be played with and just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to listen to learn the hard way on the iHeartRadio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcasts In 2023, Bachelor star Clayton Eckerd was accused of fathering twins, but the pregnancy appeared to be a hoax.
You doctored this particular test twice, Ms. Owens, correct? I doctored the test once. It took an army of internet detectives to uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing.
Greg Gillespie and Michael Marancini.
My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trapped.
Laura, Scottsdale Police.
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Chapter 2: How did Dean Stattmann's experience with sobriety change his views on drinking?
As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences. Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back At It podcast. 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.
With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year.
It was a wild year.
I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to Look Back At It on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi everyone, I'm Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild and Tiny Beautiful Things.
Chapter 3: What arguments does Taylor Lorenz make about social media addiction?
I'm excited to share that I have a new podcast called Mind Over Mountain. In each episode, I interview athletes, adventurers, and adrenaline seekers to discuss the inner landscapes that informed and inspired their extraordinary feats.
So we too can better understand how to face our own seemingly insurmountable challenges. Listen to Mind Over Mountain every Thursday on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you.
Welcome to 2%. I am your host, Michael Easter. And today we have a really great episode and we're going to be talking vices. Yes, vices. Everyone's got one, whether it's drinking, smoking, or using social media way too much. I guarantee if you were listening to this right now, You have a vice.
Now, in this podcast, and in general, in all of my work, I argue that the path to improving your life, it requires embracing short-term discomfort to get a long-term benefit. All of the things that help us in our life, they're usually tough in the short term. But the thing about vices is they are the opposite.
Chapter 4: What is the science behind dopamine and social media use?
They give us short-term pleasure at the expense of long-term growth. So how should we think about vices in a world where there are so many things that we can fall into that give us a little hit of pleasure, but maybe hurt us in the long run.
To talk about this topic, we're gonna be taking a very nuanced view because the thing about vices is if you can learn to leverage them for good, get all the good things from them, but avoid the downsides, they can actually enhance your life. We do not have to live like monks in order to live a good life. So we're going to be bringing on two people. First, we're going to bring on Dean Statman.
He is a reporter at GQ Magazine, and he had a very interesting and counterintuitive New Year's resolution that is totally opposite of dry January. After that, we're going to bring on Taylor Lorenz, who argues that social media is actually not addictive. But the information she gives you might help you use it in a way that helps you in the long run rather than hurt you.
And then finally, I am going to open the curtain into my life and I am going to tell you what my number one vice is. Now, if you listen to social media, you will think this thing is killing me. But if you actually look at the science, there is no harm in this vice I have. So I'll tell you what that is. Let's get into it.
Chapter 5: How do personal vices impact mental health?
There have been a lot of conflicting reports about drinking and health over the past few years. So for most of time, scientific bodies said, you know, if you have one or two drinks a day, that could actually help your heart health. But in the last handful of years, that has totally been flipped. And now a lot of people are saying no alcohol at all. That is going to vastly improve your health.
Now, I do think there is a bit of nuance in this topic. For example, take me. I do not drink at all. I've been sober for 11 years. And the reason for that is because my favorite drink, it was always the next one. And if you drink like that, you can rack up some life problems. But on the other hand, most people are having one to two drinks every now and then.
And I think a big question is, is that enough to really hurt health? Well, a lot of people are arguing that it is, and it is affecting people's behavior. So I'm going to read a couple stats here.
Chapter 6: What insights does the host share about diet soda consumption?
Gallup recently found that drinking is at an all-time low. So in the 70s up through about 2020, between 60% to 70% of the population drank. Now, the figure is 54%. We also have wineries that are closing in Napa Valley because not enough people are buying wine.
And I recently spoke to a friend who owns a restaurant in LA, and she said that a lot of LA restaurants are struggling because no one is drinking anymore and restaurants make a lot of money from alcohol sales. So big question here, is drinking bad or can it be even good? I have a friend. His name is Dean Statman. I used to work with him at Men's Health Magazine. Very fitness-minded, healthy guy.
And he saw all this stuff out there about how not drinking is the answer to health. So he decided to jump on the wagon. He lasted about three months because he found that although his health scores on his fitness tracker did improve... a lot of really interesting things happened to his mental health and his social life. He wrote a piece about it in GQ.
Chapter 7: What are the misconceptions surrounding artificial sweeteners?
It is called, Why My 2026 Resolution Is To Start Drinking Again. So we're going to bring on Dean, and we're going to talk about how his thinking on alcohol has evolved and what he learned in reporting this piece. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Lil' Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking.
What the hell does George Bush got to do with Lil' Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back At It podcast. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack.
Yeah.
I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack.
Chapter 8: How can we balance enjoyment and health in our lifestyle choices?
So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to Look Back at It on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keir Gaines. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark.
Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross. Because you find it important to be a good person while you're here on earth?
Or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Keir Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way.
Open your free iHeartRadio app, search Learn the Hard Way, and listen now. In 2023, former Bachelor star Clayton Eckerd found himself at the center of a paternity scandal. The family court hearings that followed revealed glaring inconsistencies in her story. This began a years-long court battle to prove the truth. You doctored this particular test twice in so-and-so, correct?
I doctored the test once. It took an army of internet detectives to crack the case. I wanted people to be able to see what their tax dollars were being used for. Sunlight's the greatest disinfectant. they would uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing.
Greg Gillespie and Michael Marangini.
My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trap.
Laura, Scottsdale Police.
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