Eckhart TolleNYT Bestselling author of the Power of Now

Eckhart Tolle on Alcohol and Presence

19 May 2026 · 1 min

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In this brief spoken excerpt, Eckhart Tolle advises minimizing the use of intoxicating beverages to preserve the state of presence. He states that a single glass of wine is generally acceptable and does not significantly disrupt presence, but two glasses may begin to interfere and three will certainly do so. His overall recommendation is to abstain entirely, though he acknowledges that many people enjoy wine with dinner and assures that those who do so will not be judged, especially within a spiritually advanced community.

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refrain as much as possible from intoxicating beverages. However, if you cannot enjoy a dinner without a glass of wine, then you can have a glass of wine. It— one glass of wine would not unduly interfere with the arising presence in you, but two might, and three it will. So as little as possible, I recommend None at all would be great, but since everybody here is spiritually advanced, if you do have a glass of wine, you will not be judged.