I understand that no or low alcohol with HIV meds is the desirable choice. My partner is starting meds in a week and he is at best a social drinker - with a beer or a single drink to last an evening and he uses no other substances. If he wanted to have an occasional beer what amount is least likely to cause problems? How much time should he keep between taking his meds and having a beer? Can he have a single drink of hard alcohol once or twice in a month?

The literature shows that occasional drinking of alcohol (one drink per day) doesn't appear to be harmful to someone with HIV, although alcohol is a powerful drug and caution is always advised. He should check with his physician about particular drug interactions and alcohol. That said, the alcohol in one drink is usually metabolized within two hours, so I would allow at least that amount of time between a drink and his meds.

-David