{"id":142478,"date":"2025-02-24T13:44:21","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T17:44:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=142478"},"modified":"2025-02-25T14:08:12","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T18:08:12","slug":"how-much-alcohol-is-okay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-much-alcohol-is-okay\/","title":{"rendered":"How Much Alcohol Is Okay? The Answer: None. Here’s Why"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Is there scientific evidence linking alcohol to cancer? Why aren’t there cancer warnings on alcohol bottles? How much alcohol is okay to drink?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In January the US Surgeon General issued a report<\/a> calling for cancer warnings on every beer, wine, and liquor bottle sold in America. Despite many myths that have circulated for decades, even light drinking can pose serious health risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s why you can’t trust drinking guidelines around alcohol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Health Risks of Alcohol<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy\u2019s call for cancer warning labels on alcoholic beverages comes as federal agencies consider new drinking guidelines<\/a>. Current warning labels, unchanged since 1988<\/a>, mention only general \u201chealth risks\u201d with consumption and caution against drinking while pregnant or operating machinery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Murthy\u2019s report adds to mounting scientific evidence of alcohol\u2019s health risks. The World Health Organization links alcohol to more than 200 health conditions<\/a> and classifies it as a Group 1 carcinogen<\/a>\u2014placing it in the same high-risk category as asbestos and tobacco. So, how much alcohol is okay? We’ll explore this below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alcohol and Cancer<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Surgeon General\u2019s report reveals that alcohol use causes approximately <\/strong>100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 cancer deaths annually<\/strong><\/a> in the US<\/strong>\u2014making it the third leading preventable cause of cancer after tobacco and obesity. The advisory links drinking to seven specific cancers, including breast, liver, colon, mouth, and throat.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study finds that while cancer risk<\/strong> increases with lifetime alcohol consumption, even light drinking poses dangers<\/strong>. The risk for breast, oral, and throat cancers may rise with just one drink per day or less. The type of alcoholic beverage makes no difference\u2014beer, wine, and spirits all raise cancer risk equally when consumed in the same amounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report explains the leading theory<\/a> for how alcohol leads to cancer: When the body processes alcohol, it creates a substance called acetaldehyde, which can attach to and harm DNA, leading cells to multiply out of control and form tumors<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alcohol Doesn’t Relax You
<\/strong>
In her book This Naked Mind<\/a>, <\/em>Annie Grace claims that many people drink because they believe alcohol helps them relax and feel happier. They think alcohol can make their problems go away or make them forget about them. However, Grace challenges this belief and says that alcohol isn\u2019t a real solution: Drinking only dulls your feelings and thoughts for a short time\u2014it doesn\u2019t change anything about your situation or emotions.<\/strong> When the alcohol wears off, you\u2019re left with the same issues that made you unhappy or stressed in the first place, prompting you to drink even more to find relief.

Not only does alcohol fail to provide any real solutions to your problems, but it tends to worsen your mood. The more you rely on alcohol to bring you happiness and relief, the harder it becomes for you to naturally feel good. To truly relax and improve your mood, Grace writes that you must tackle the source of your stress or unhappiness. Using alcohol to handle your problems only leads to more problems and more drinking.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Influence of Lobbyists<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The alcohol industry has long opposed stricter federal regulations on drinking, including warning labels and tighter consumption guidelines<\/strong>. The Beer Institute responded to the Surgeon General\u2019s report by emphasizing its long-standing support of responsible drinking<\/a>, while the Wine Institute directed consumers to current federal guidance that allows one to two drinks per day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The industry backs its opposition with substantial lobbying efforts<\/strong>. In 2024, major players\u2014including Anheuser-Busch, the Distilled Spirits Council, and the Beer Institute\u2014spent $8.81 million<\/a> lobbying Congress and federal agencies on issues including consumption limits in federal dietary guidelines. The industry also contributed $24 million to political candidates<\/a> and parties during the 2024 election cycle. This influence helped secure support from more than 100 members of Congress who, last October, asked federal officials to <\/strong>pause an HHS study on alcohol consumption<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>that could affect forthcoming recommendations about how much Americans should drink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Industry analysts say while cancer warning labels on bottles are unlikely to significantly deter Americans from drinking, they could pose a long-term risk to alcohol makers<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. Stock prices of major alcohol manufacturers, including Anheuser-Busch and Molson Coors, dropped following the release of the Surgeon General\u2019s report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What the Science Says<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the political debate over federal drinking limits and warning labels lies a complex scientific picture: Americans seeking clarity about alcohol’s health effects must navigate contradictory findings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 2025 National Academies report<\/a> found that moderate drinking might lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes, while simultaneously confirming that it raises the risk of certain cancers<\/strong>. Other research has exposed flaws<\/a> in earlier studies that identified benefits from moderate drinking\u2014finding that they focused mainly on middle-aged adults who were already healthier than the general population because of their education levels and income, creating a misleading picture of alcohol\u2019s effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the confusion, the United States increasingly stands alone in its lenient drinking recommendations compared with other nations<\/strong>. While US standards continue to allow up to two drinks daily for men and one for women<\/a>, the United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Holland, and Australia all recently lowered their limits; Ireland plans to require warning labels indicating the \u201cdirect link between alcohol and fatal cancers\u201d by 2026. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Alcohol can harm the health of anyone who consumes it, but studies show that women are more at risk<\/a> of suffering from the negative health effects. Experts say this is because of several factors<\/a>: First, women\u2019s bodies have proportionately less water and more fat than men’s bodies. Water helps dilute alcohol, while fat retains it. This means that alcohol stays in higher concentrations and for longer periods in women\u2019s bodies. Another factor is that women have less of an enzyme that breaks down alcohol before it enters the bloodstream. Because of this, they typically have higher blood alcohol levels than a man who drinks the same amount.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking Ahead <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Adding cancer warnings would require an act of Congress<\/a>, but the alcohol industry\u2019s strong political influence makes such action improbable. In the meantime, federal health officials are preparing <\/strong>updated dietary guidelines for 2025<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>that could reshape alcohol consumption recommendations. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Is there scientific evidence linking alcohol to cancer? Why aren’t there cancer warnings on alcohol bottles? How much alcohol is okay to drink? In January the US Surgeon General issued a report calling for cancer warnings on every beer, wine, and liquor bottle sold in America. Despite many myths that have circulated for decades, even light drinking can pose serious health risks. Here’s why you can’t trust drinking guidelines around alcohol.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":142479,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,275],"tags":[727],"class_list":["post-142478","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-politics","tag-articles","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nHow Much Alcohol Is Okay? The Answer: None. Here's Why - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Have you heard the myth that one glass of red wine every day is healthy? Turns out, no amount of alcohol is okay. Here's the science.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-much-alcohol-is-okay\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Much Alcohol Is Okay? The Answer: None. Here's Why\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Have you heard the myth that one glass of red wine every day is healthy? Turns out, no amount of alcohol is okay. Here's the science.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-much-alcohol-is-okay\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-02-24T17:44:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-02-25T18:08:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/woman-holding-wine-at-dinner.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1217\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"682\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Hannah Aster\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Hannah Aster\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-much-alcohol-is-okay\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-much-alcohol-is-okay\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Hannah Aster\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f39f52830e4f7039a16e45d12354542f\"},\"headline\":\"How Much Alcohol Is Okay? The Answer: None. Here’s Why\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-24T17:44:21+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-25T18:08:12+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-much-alcohol-is-okay\/\"},\"wordCount\":1044,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-much-alcohol-is-okay\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/woman-holding-wine-at-dinner.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Articles\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Health\",\"Politics\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-much-alcohol-is-okay\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-much-alcohol-is-okay\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-much-alcohol-is-okay\/\",\"name\":\"How Much Alcohol Is Okay? The Answer: None. Here's Why - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-much-alcohol-is-okay\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-much-alcohol-is-okay\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/woman-holding-wine-at-dinner.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-24T17:44:21+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-25T18:08:12+00:00\",\"description\":\"Have you heard the myth that one glass of red wine every day is healthy? Turns out, no amount of alcohol is okay. Here's the science.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-much-alcohol-is-okay\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-much-alcohol-is-okay\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-much-alcohol-is-okay\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/woman-holding-wine-at-dinner.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/woman-holding-wine-at-dinner.webp\",\"width\":1217,\"height\":682,\"caption\":\"A woman's hand holding a glass of white wine at a dinner table brings up the question, \\\"how much alcohol is okay?\\\"\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-much-alcohol-is-okay\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How Much Alcohol Is Okay? The Answer: None. Here’s Why\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"description\":\"The World's Best Book Summaries\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":74,\"caption\":\"Shortform Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f39f52830e4f7039a16e45d12354542f\",\"name\":\"Hannah Aster\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0302cb2690b70a21639bc6873e587f42d39d02385b7e59d8efd0d3e000ae7681?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0302cb2690b70a21639bc6873e587f42d39d02385b7e59d8efd0d3e000ae7681?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Hannah Aster\"},\"description\":\"Hannah is a seasoned writer and editor who started her journey with Shortform nearly five years ago. She grew up reading mostly fiction books but transitioned to non-fiction writing when she started her travel website in 2018. When she's not writing or traveling, you can find Hannah working on home reno projects, crafting, or taking care of plants.\",\"knowsAbout\":[\"Graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in English and minors in professional and creative writing\"],\"jobTitle\":\"SEO Team Lead\",\"worksFor\":\"Shortform\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/hannah\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How Much Alcohol Is Okay? The Answer: None. Here's Why - Shortform Books","description":"Have you heard the myth that one glass of red wine every day is healthy? Turns out, no amount of alcohol is okay. Here's the science.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-much-alcohol-is-okay\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How Much Alcohol Is Okay? The Answer: None. Here's Why","og_description":"Have you heard the myth that one glass of red wine every day is healthy? Turns out, no amount of alcohol is okay. Here's the science.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-much-alcohol-is-okay\/","og_site_name":"Shortform Books","article_published_time":"2025-02-24T17:44:21+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-02-25T18:08:12+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1217,"height":682,"url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/woman-holding-wine-at-dinner.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"Hannah Aster","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Hannah Aster","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-much-alcohol-is-okay\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-much-alcohol-is-okay\/"},"author":{"name":"Hannah Aster","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f39f52830e4f7039a16e45d12354542f"},"headline":"How Much Alcohol Is Okay? The Answer: None. Here’s Why","datePublished":"2025-02-24T17:44:21+00:00","dateModified":"2025-02-25T18:08:12+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-much-alcohol-is-okay\/"},"wordCount":1044,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-much-alcohol-is-okay\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/woman-holding-wine-at-dinner.webp","keywords":["Articles"],"articleSection":["Health","Politics"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-much-alcohol-is-okay\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-much-alcohol-is-okay\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-much-alcohol-is-okay\/","name":"How Much Alcohol Is Okay? The Answer: None. Here's Why - Shortform Books","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-much-alcohol-is-okay\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-much-alcohol-is-okay\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/woman-holding-wine-at-dinner.webp","datePublished":"2025-02-24T17:44:21+00:00","dateModified":"2025-02-25T18:08:12+00:00","description":"Have you heard the myth that one glass of red wine every day is healthy? Turns out, no amount of alcohol is okay. Here's the science.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-much-alcohol-is-okay\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-much-alcohol-is-okay\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-much-alcohol-is-okay\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/woman-holding-wine-at-dinner.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/woman-holding-wine-at-dinner.webp","width":1217,"height":682,"caption":"A woman's hand holding a glass of white wine at a dinner table brings up the question, \"how much alcohol is okay?\""},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-much-alcohol-is-okay\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How Much Alcohol Is Okay? The Answer: None. Here’s Why"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","name":"Shortform Books","description":"The World's Best Book Summaries","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Shortform Books","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","width":500,"height":74,"caption":"Shortform Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f39f52830e4f7039a16e45d12354542f","name":"Hannah Aster","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0302cb2690b70a21639bc6873e587f42d39d02385b7e59d8efd0d3e000ae7681?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0302cb2690b70a21639bc6873e587f42d39d02385b7e59d8efd0d3e000ae7681?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Hannah Aster"},"description":"Hannah is a seasoned writer and editor who started her journey with Shortform nearly five years ago. She grew up reading mostly fiction books but transitioned to non-fiction writing when she started her travel website in 2018. When she's not writing or traveling, you can find Hannah working on home reno projects, crafting, or taking care of plants.","knowsAbout":["Graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in English and minors in professional and creative writing"],"jobTitle":"SEO Team Lead","worksFor":"Shortform","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/hannah\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/woman-holding-wine-at-dinner.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142478","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=142478"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142478\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":142501,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142478\/revisions\/142501"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/142479"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=142478"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=142478"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=142478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}