How bad is alcohol?

I am tryin to get back into lifting and wanna get the best gains possible but was wondering how bad drinking once a week really is. I'm not trying to cut I'm trying to put on muscle now. I get pretty drunk on saturday nights and have a ton of fun but I'll cut it out for a while if need be.

its bad.

If you are going to be busting your ass in the gym and eating right for awhile, why throw all the gains you made in the trash? be disciplined for just awhile and see what happens...

alcohol is part of your diet.

if you work out real hard, but dont eat right you won't get the max amount of gains. alcohol will really hinder your gains.

but once a week is fine (consider it a cheat meal)

Originally Posted by M3bluewater

its bad.

If you are going to be busting your ass in the gym and eating right for awhile, why throw all the gains you made in the trash? be disciplined for just awhile and see what happens...

Very true, and why I don't drink at all anymore, havent since New Year's Eve.. And ive grown to have just as much fun as being drunk, I don't need it!

Originally Posted by John4

alcohol is part of your diet.

if you work out real hard, but dont eat right you won't get the max amount of gains. alcohol will really hinder your gains.

but once a week is fine (consider it a cheat meal)

that's what i thought but sometimes I'm sore and still recovering and drinking makes me feel like I wasted my time in the gym. It's so much fun though lol.

does anyone have any scientific evidence about 1 day a week drinking that shows a lot of negative results?

I think getting drunk once a week is a generally unhealthy practice, regardless of your workout routine or athletic goals and ambitions.

drinking is good only for sexual pursuits/enjoyment... aside from that, it really doesn't help much of anything

that said, i have started to get back into a routine and, after going to the gym yesterday, went drinking... come 5am this morning, i had the worrrrst hangover i have had in a LONG time

I'm no health expert (FAR from it), but can you simply generalize about booze? Doesn't it matter what kinda booze we're talking about here? Beer has TONS more calories than hard stuff. What exactly are you getting drunk from?

Bart

When you say "drinking once a week" are we talking about having a beer or two with dinner on Saturday night or going out with the intention of getting sh!tfaced?

If you need scientific evidence to show you that getting drunk weekly will hurt your athletic performance, this is a lost cause.

Originally Posted by The Rock

I'm no health expert (FAR from it), but can you simply generalize about booze? Doesn't it matter what kinda booze we're talking about here? Beer has TONS more calories than hard stuff. What exactly are you getting drunk from?

Bart

it doesnt matter. alcohol is alcohol (7 calories for every gram) and its a poison. the way the calories add up is the added carbs and mixers used, which are usually high sugar juices or sodas.

Originally Posted by M3bluewater

it doesnt matter. alcohol is alcohol (7 calories for every gram) and its a poison. the way the calories add up is the added carbs and mixers used, which are usually high sugar juices or sodas.

Thats kinda my point. If he's getting drunk on whiskey, no mix, its not as bad from a calorie viewpoint as having say 12 beer. Now if he's like me and prefers vodka drinks (ie Smirnoff Ice), thats even worse because of the extra sugar. I think WHAT he's drinking once a week is important to the OPs question, which was how bad can this drinking impact his workout gains.

Bart

Originally Posted by The Rock

Thats kinda my point. If he's getting drunk on whiskey, no mix, its not as bad from a calorie viewpoint as having say 12 beer. Now if he's like me and prefers vodka drinks (ie Smirnoff Ice), thats even worse because of the extra sugar. I think WHAT he's drinking once a week is important to the OPs question, which was how bad can this drinking impact his workout gains.

Bart

no, its how many grams of alcohol he is consuming once a week. if he mixed his vodka with a soda that 120 cals of sugar extra or whey protein which is 120 cals of extra as well, he still mixed a shot of vodka in and it doesnt matter. its still will kill his gains....

Originally Posted by M3bluewater

no, its how many grams of alcohol he is consuming once a week. if he mixed his vodka with a soda that 120 cals of sugar extra or whey protein which is 120 cals of extra as well, he still mixed a shot of vodka in and it doesnt matter. its still will kill his gains....

Point taken! Its just that most people I know aren't consistent with alcohol intake. I know people who can drink much smaller amounts of hard stuff to get to their "happy place", but if they get there with beer, they consume much more for some reason.

Of course, its better to not drink at all, but where's the fun in that bullsh!t.

Bart

Originally Posted by dwass325

When you say "drinking once a week" are we talking about having a beer or two with dinner on Saturday night or going out with the intention of getting sh!tfaced?

If you need scientific evidence to show you that getting drunk weekly will hurt your athletic performance, this is a lost cause.

I'm talkin like atleast 8 drinks and getting pretty wasted. I know i get dehydrated and stuff. I know it's bad I'm just wondering how bad and if there are any sites or articles out there talking about it.

Why do people seriously think that you just HAVE to get drunk to have a good time?

Like other have said, having the occasional drink every now and then is fine, but getting sh!tfaced on a weekly basis is just plain unhealthy regardless of goals.

what if your trying to bulk? and you constantly hydrate yourself through out the night? lol how bad is it weekly?

im not gonna lie...being in college....its more like 3 times a week lol

Originally Posted by SollyD

I'm talkin like atleast 8 drinks and getting pretty wasted. I know i get dehydrated and stuff. I know it's bad I'm just wondering how bad and if there are any sites or articles out there talking about it.

How bad? Well, you're taking in a ton of nutritionally empty calories, and taking in alcohol which dehydrates the body, inhibits protein synthesis, and can raise estrogen. On top of that, I doubt, four drinks in, you're thinking, "I need to get a nutritious meal in" so you're likely taking in either no food calories or, if you are taking in food, it's something disgusting and unhealthy like Burger King.

Seriously... you should not need scientific articles to know that drinking is bad for you.

Now, I'm sure this won't effect your drinking long-term, but here's an article with cited sources.

Alcohol consumption is the biggest drug problem in the United States today. Deeply intertwined into our society, its abuse inevitably carries over into our passion for competition in sport. However, most athletes use alcohol for reasons aside from competition. Alcohol stimulates a feeling of well being and euphoria, and can eliminate social inhibitions.

Compounding the problem, many athletes are under the impression that a few drinks before an event can be a strong ergogenic aid. It is touted as being a powerful tool to increase mental alertness, calm the nerves and dull the sensation of pain. With a few drinks, some athletes say they feel more alert, more confident and almost "fearless".

In sports requiring steady, smooth and controlled movements, its reputation for reducing muscle tremor and anxiety can be especially appealing. (3) Let's take a close look at alcohol and what its use and abuse really does to your athletic performance, your physique and your health.

Alcohol can be classified as either a food or a drug. As a food, it is quite caloric dense. At 7 calories per gram, alcohol provides almost twice the calories per gram of either carbohydrates or protein, but still fewer than a gram of fat. The calories from alcohol are considered "empty", because alcoholic beverages contain only negligible amounts of vitamins and minerals.

In addition to this, alcohol is often called the antinutrient nutrient, because it directly interferes with the body's absorption, storage and use of other nutrients. (2) As a drug, alcohol is classified as an addictive narcotic. It is classified as a depressant, but appears to have a two-part response: an initial sensation of excitement followed by depressive psychomotor effects. (3) Men are less sensitive to the drug than women, probably because men have a certain enzyme in the stomach that disposes of some alcohol before allowing it into the bloodstream. (2)

Effects On Athletic Performance

As an ergogenic aid, alcohol is proposed to:

* Calm the nerves
* Reduce inhibitions
* Increase mental alertness
* Reduce pain
* Reduce muscle tremor

Despite the many positive proposed benefits of alcohol as an ergogenic aid, studies have shown it to have the exact opposite effect to those above in most categories. (3)

Alcohol has been proven to:

* Decrease accuracy, balance, and reaction time
* Slow visual tracking and information processing
* Decrease strength, power and muscle endurance*
* Dehydrate the body

It appears that alcohol produces the "feeling" of improved psychomotor skills, when in fact they are impaired while under the influence of even a very small amount of the drug. (3) There is some evidence that alcohol may be able to reduce anxiety and muscle tremor,** but the associated decrease in coordination, balance and information processing would negate any real benefit to sport performance gained from the advantage in those areas. (1)

The depressive effect of alcohol does dull the sensation of pain, but pain indicates injury. The athlete on alcohol runs a greater risk of increasing the severity of an injury because without pain, they may be unaware of the extent of the damage. In addition, alcohol dehydrates the body by blocking the release of antidiuretic hormone, causing the kidneys to excrete excess body fluid in the form of urine. (3)

Effect On Your Physique & Your Health

Since alcohol contains calories, anyone interested in weight management must count these 7 calories per gram in their total intake. These calories can quickly add up. In addition to this, alcohol interferes with the absorption and utilization of many vitamins and minerals, which can ultimately slow the processing of protein and carbohydrates. Also significant is the liver damage associated with regular alcohol use.

Alcohol interferes with the metabolism of protein and fat in the liver, and alcohol causes impaired production of pancreatic enzymes needed for fat metabolism. An inability to mobilize body fat and high blood lipid (fat) levels may result. Liver glycogen may become depleted along with an inability of the liver to form new glucose. (2) The end result is the body of the alcohol user will have a strong tendency to store body fat and a very hard time gaining or maintaining lean body mass. An alcohol user's energy, strength and endurance levels will drop hindering the desire to exercise, further complicating the problem.

Can Alcohol Be Good For The Heart?

Current evidence suggests that moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a lower risk of heart disease in some people. It was found that one drink per day (and no more) can increase the level of high-density lipoproteins (HDL's) in the blood. (1) HDL's are known as the "good cholesterol" and are responsible for keeping your arteries clear.

It is not advisable that one consume alcohol for the reason of reduced risk of heart disease because of all the negative effects associated with alcohol consumption. So far, this is the only possible benefit of alcohol on your health, while there are innumerable known risks.

One drink is defined as:

* 12 ounces of regular beer
* 5 ounces of wine
* 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor
* 1.0 ounce of 100-proof liquor

I hope you enjoyed and learned a lot from reading this article. I thoroughly enjoyed and benefited from researching and writing it! There are so many more risk factors associated with alcohol consumption that I made no mention of here in an effort to keep most of my focus in the realm of sports and fitness. Feel free to email me at parsons@issaonline.com with comments or for suggested further reading on the subject. Good luck with your training!

* Some studies have demonstrated this effect, while others have not.
** Some studies have shown that drinking causes muscle tremors, so no definitive conclusion can be drawn to this effect.

References

1. Kleiner, S.M. In High Spirits?: Alcohol and Your Health. The Physician and Sportsmedicine. 24:9. 1996.
2. Leiber, C.S. The nutritional effects of alcohol. In: Total Nutrition: the Only Guide You'll Ever Need. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1995. pp 348-358.
3. Wilmore, J.H. Costill, D.L. Physiology of sport and exercise. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. 1994.

Not to hi-jack but, what if you're a person who only needs 2-3 drinks and has a good buzz? Because that's what I am...

Originally Posted by bimmerchop

Why do people seriously think that you just HAVE to get drunk to have a good time?

Like other have said, having the occasional drink every now and then is fine, but getting sh!tfaced on a weekly basis is just plain unhealthy regardless of goals.

It's just something we do. Nothing else to do between 11-4am on a saturday night lol. I will try not to drink for a few months but I it wont be fun lol.

Originally Posted by SollyD

It's just something we do. Nothing else to do between 11-4am on a saturday night lol. I will try not to drink for a few months but I it wont be fun lol.

just moderate yourself - why not head into the city? it's too expensive to get drunk in nyc!