Assuming an average decent beer contains 165 calories and a bottle of wine contains around 625 calories, drinking beer or wine regularly adds significant empty calories to your diet. If the excess calories from alcohol are above and beyond your recommended daily calorie intake (RDI), you'll gain weight unless you adjust your diet or burn off the excess calories through physical activity, which is close to impossible.

For example, drinking 10 beers per week could add an additional 1,650 calories per week to your diet from the beer alone. Over a year, that would add up to an additional 85,800 calories. Alternatively, drinking one bottle of wine per week could add an additional 625 calories per week to your diet from the wine alone. Over a year, that would add up to an additional 32,500 calories.

One pound of body fat is roughly equivalent to 3,500 calories, so if you consume an excess of 3,500 calories a week, you could potentially gain one pound of body weight. Assuming that the excess calories from the beer or wine alone is causing you to consume an additional 1,650 or 625 calories per week above your RDI, respectively, you could potentially gain around 1 pound every 2-3 weeks from beer or every 5-6 weeks from wine, or around 17-26 pounds from beer or 9-11 pounds from wine in a year.

However, it's important to remember that weight gain is influenced by multiple factors, including diet, exercise, and other lifestyle habits, not just alcohol consumption. Maintaining a balanced diet and engaging in regular physical activity can help you burn off excess calories and avoid weight gain.

Additionally, it's important to note that alcohol is considered "empty calories," providing calories without significant nutritional value. Consuming excess calories from alcohol can lead to weight gain and a range of health problems beyond weight gain. To maintain good health, it's recommended that women consume no more than one drink per day and men no more than two drinks per day. Moderation is key.