[Adrenaline]

(01-25-2016 03:27 AM)The Black Knight Wrote:  

(01-22-2016 12:23 PM)RichieP Wrote:  

Very irregularly, I cut that shit out. Remember, alcohol is chemically a poison. Maybe once a month if it's a real good party (i.e. someone is buying bottle service, or I feel like splashing out and doing that in a high-end club).

At 30+ yrs I just dont need to be poisoning myself 2 out of every 7 nights. Road to ruin, especially for someone trying to better themselves and get somewhere in business, career, etc.

Just my view though. I know some people can handle it and grow old with it. To me it's poison to be minimised from now on though.

Ok here's me preaching: At 29 yrs old you're kind of at the fork in the road - keep drinking like you are, and you'll be significantly worse off in a few years than the guy who minimized his drinking, in terms of health, wealth and general life accomplishments. The brain doesn't work properly when you're poisoning it regularly. Just my 2c, feel free to ignore it though.

To transition, you need to just redefine what alcohol is for you. For me that means something for special occasions, and only then. Go two months totally sober and get used to being out while not drinking. Then just bring it back for the really worthwhile parties. For me, "worthwhile" has to be either a) a good friend throwing a big birthday party / getting bottle service, or b) a night where I want to buy a bottle and splash out. Any other night out, I don't drink.

This is pretty much where I am at now. I just see it as poison and I don't think the cost/benefit is worth it anymore.

Seems like everyone who is 30+ and drinks a lot looks like shit while a lot of non-drinkers look pretty decent. I don't really care if I feel a bit crappy the next day but I do care about aging pre-maturely and having my overall health adversely effected; I want to be able to game young chicks for as long as possible.

When I've drank heavily in the past, I could actually see the aging effects in the following days: bags under my eyes darken, glow on face gone, wrinkles lingering longer. Workout quality took a bit of hit too. Never really helped with securing a bang either (I gamed without alcohol for years); actually has costed me a few bangs when I've gotten a bit too sloppy. And all for what? To feel silly for a few hours? Just not worth it to me.

I'm probably done with drinking for good now.

Strangely, I often look better after a night of drinking. Must be something to do with the alcohol having a mellowing affect and positively influencing stress levels. It's like a weight lifted off my shoulders when I crack open those drinks on a Saturday night.

I have to admit that I am a little worried about the long term effects, but those days aren't even guaranteed to come in life, and if they do there's nothing concrete proving that you'll look better without alcohol consumption anyway. Heaps of people who don't drink still look like shit, while plenty of people who drink heavily/do drugs look a million bucks at 40-50. I think there's enough evidence out there so show other factors such as genetics, sun exposure, activity level, and diet have a bigger say on premature aging.

[zatara]

(01-22-2016 12:23 PM)RichieP Wrote:  

Very irregularly, I cut that shit out. Remember, alcohol is chemically a poison. Maybe once a month if it's a real good party (i.e. someone is buying bottle service, or I feel like splashing out and doing that in a high-end club).

At 30+ yrs I just dont need to be poisoning myself 2 out of every 7 nights. Road to ruin, especially for someone trying to better themselves and get somewhere in business, career, etc.

Just my view though. I know some people can handle it and grow old with it. To me it's poison to be minimised from now on though.

Ok here's me preaching: At 29 yrs old you're kind of at the fork in the road - keep drinking like you are, and you'll be significantly worse off in a few years than the guy who minimized his drinking, in terms of health, wealth and general life accomplishments. The brain doesn't work properly when you're poisoning it regularly. Just my 2c, feel free to ignore it though.

To transition, you need to just redefine what alcohol is for you. For me that means something for special occasions, and only then. Go two months totally sober and get used to being out while not drinking. Then just bring it back for the really worthwhile parties. For me, "worthwhile" has to be either a) a good friend throwing a big birthday party / getting bottle service, or b) a night where I want to buy a bottle and splash out. Any other night out, I don't drink.

Completely agree with this. I drank 3-4 nights a week when I started university, and had a great time for a while. But it absolutely destroys you financially, professionally and physically. I've only drank once every 2 weeks for the last few years, and it's night and day. I'm fitter, wealthier and obviously get way more done during the week. Plus I haven't aged as badly in my late 20s as some of my heavier drinking friends. It also means when I do drink I really enjoy the night, because its a relative rarity.

OP, what kind of physical shape are you in? How often do you workout? At 29 if you haven't already hit the "male wall" from your lifestyle, you will very soon. You'll be one of those guys who looks 40 at 30...

You should really cut out the drinking at home alone at the very least, its completely pointless. If you limited yourself to only drinking when out with friends at the weekend it'd be a good start.

[Filbert]

I am currently not drinking (on the wagon).
Not many people realize alcohol is a drug, and the longer you imbibe, the more difficult it is to quit.
And many people cannot do it without medical assistance, or try quitting cold turkey and have a stroke.

A schoolmate of mine recently died due to not having a drink on time (having a stroke).

[highcardace]

I drink 4-5 nights of the week, usually pretty heavy and a lot of beer. It was definitely taking a toll on my health, so I read up on some ways to combat the negative side effects of alcohol. So here's my routine:

After a night of drinking, I come home and take a B-complex vitamin and B1. Research has shown that alcohol depletes B vitamins more than others, and especially B1. So if you want your body and bran to function properly following alcohol consumption, take some B vitamins before and after.

DIM - You HAVE to supplement with DIM if you want your testosterone levels to remain optimum while drinking heavily. DIM is found naturally in brocolli and is responsible for metabolizing estrogen. So if you love beer, this is a must.

Huperzine A - I supplement daily with Huperzine which is an extermely potent acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, which is responsible for breaking down acetylcholine (neurotransmitter for learning and memory). I was having some memory problems associated with alcohol, but Huperzine is excellent in combating that.

And finally if you want to ease the hangover the next day, along with the B vitamins, drink A LOT of water, possibly a liter or more.

[DVY]

Drink clear alcohols and high-end browns (whiskeys). Keep it to 2-4 drinks MAX. Don't get drunk, get tipsy.

Its basically the rule for any drugs. Minimal dosage for just slightly more than a hint of desired effect.

Thats the key for longevity in this game.

Im mid 20s and have slowly transitioning away from binge drinking to social drinking 2-5 drinks/nights on night out.

1-3 drinks on sober/social nights. I drink to conversate and open up w/ppl. I get a slight buzz but its gone in 2-3 hours.

The habit to drink something outweighs the habit to drink alcohol... so Ill drink soda waters or soda water bitters to "keep up" and maintain appearances.

All this goes out the window when traveling or doing business, but thats life.

[Elster]

There was a point in the road in which I was downing 3 to 5 pints a day of beer for 4 montsh straight.

For the last 9 months I've been able keep it to a pint per day,3 to 4 times a week,two pints on fridays
(im outta beer today though)

France made me love wine,but I cant drink it unless its at the table on a family/friends gathering with proper food,or at the very least proper cheese.

An old guy once told me:
"T´ai connait pas l'amour jusq' ta eu un bon coup de rouge avec un morceau du Camembert!"

[Stark Naked]

I'm 30, and I don't really have a set number of nights I drink; some weeks I drink every night, others I don't touch alcohol at all. I've drank every night this week, but it's been a beer or two after work, or a glass of Jameson after dinner. If I stay in then I'll usually relax with either an alcoholic drink or some tea while I write or read; if I go out I rarely drink for purely financial reasons. If I really want to drink while I'm out I'll bring a flask of rum, and even then I'll have about two to four shots out of it the entire night.

But then again, there are those nights when I hang out with my buddies and we go for the drinking high score.

When I'm seriously working towards a fitness goal (i.e. I put on ten pounds that I need to take off) I won't drink at all, but with the way I have my habits in place it doesn't affect my fitness levels much at all.

I used to be a much heavier drinker, but I guess I just got my life more figured out and have other priorities than just alcohol. That may be your problem - find other constructive things to do with your nights. Even if you can drink while doing them you'll want to keep your faculties with you so you can focus on them. Also, be mindful of why you're drinking - is it to enhance a good time you're already having, or is it to numb certain feelings? I'm not trying to diagnose you or say you have a problem, but it's something worth looking into, not just for you, but for anyone who wants to better their life.

Slainte'!

[greekgod]

Yeah, Chicago is tough for not drinking. However, you have to shift your mindset, especially in this town, about drinking.

What have you accomplished? Why do you deserve to drink that often?

Also, get over fomo, the party from project x isn't going to happen in old town.

I've cut back severly and it's 1-2 nights a month right now. What do I gain by drinking? Distractions generally.

Alcohol is overly romanticized here. Far too often I hear my coworkers say "I need a drink". Nah, you need a reality check.

Figure out why YOU view drinking the way you do.

Most people in Chicago aren't living conscious lives, which is OK, but as the saying goes " if you have to ask, you already know"

PS-have you been to any of the meetups? There are a few guys who have risen above the drinking culure in the city

[highcardace]

Drinking hard also might be attributed to low dopamine levels. I took L-DOPA for a while and my drinking is now under control, I have less of an urge to binge drink

[booshala]

In my mid 30's and have really seen the effects of heavy versus light drinking over the past five years. At the heaviest, I was in my late 20's downing 3-4 beers a night, a few drams of scotch and/or a bottle of wine after coming home from work... face/body always looked bloated and my T levels were in the low 200's.

Stopped the daily drinking, limited it to 2-3x a week for dates and the T levels shot back up to 800, although the weight always stayed on... along with a disturbing propensity to blacking out after a few drinks, even though I used to be the guy who could drink a bottle of whisky by myself. Now that I only drink 2-3x a month, the bloat weight has finally dropped off and I'm back to weighing the same as I did when I was a fitness crazed 24 year old.

I guess the secret for me is that I work all the time, so not as many opportunities for social drinking. I've also adopted the alternating drink/soda water combination that seems to work well: just like cigarettes, alcohol is addictive because of the chemical and hand-to-mouth properties, so I find it easier to slightly adjust the learned behavior rather than nix it completely. Finally, I take one month out of the year and stop drinking completely. It gives me a better perspective and makes me realize that as much as I love booze (the taste, the environment, the way it makes me feel) I don't need it to survive.

[Buakaw]

I only drink once per week nowadays. As I get older the hangover has worsen and a late night usually ruins all of the following day. The best bet would be to get on the wagon and stop drinking but I am too much of a beer lover to be able to do it.

And living in Bangkok as a sober guy would not be that much fun..