Increased Training - Increased problems with Alchohol

Is it that you're "more fit" or is it that you've reduced your intake already in order to get fit, so when you drink it affects you more?

I can't say that I have noticed the same phenomenon.....

Nope, but I haven't had anything alcoholic in fourteen years. Which would be an easy solution to your problem.

Are you staying well hydrated?  (pre and post?)

It is that VB and XXXX stuff you drink. Track down some quality South African Castle Lager and you will be good to go.

Yes. 

I have noticed something similar. I feel just one drink way more than ever before, more than that and I do feel the depressant effect. I also know that my roommate, who was a pretty serious athlete in university, had almost no alcohol tolerance. A couple of drinks really whacked her and made her performance suffer.

I think there are a couple of things at work that are also probably pretty individual--like increased metabolism, decreased body fat, and usually a decrease in general consumption. All of those things probably speed up alcohol metabolism in the body and, therefore, its effects. Since it is a depressant, maybe that's why you're feeling so lousy. That's just a guess, though.

And decreased overall body weight, makes a big difference.

A depressant makes you feel depressed????  Go figure.

Makes me an awesome dancer for a few hours.

I do feel much guiltier about drinking alcohol when I'm in training, so perhaps that has something to do with it. As someone that works in a bar twice a week, it's a challenge to not drink, but for 6 months last year, I can count on my hand the number of nights that I drank anything more than a glass of wine with dinner.

I may have one drink a month (if that), and I've lost about 25 pounds over the last 6 months - now I'm probably somewhere around 8% bodyfat. Even with that one drink I feel a slight buzz - definitely different from my college days.

I guess now that I'm 'grown up' I treat my body much better, and part of that is rarely drinking. I even feel sick (I really do!) if I have any fried food these days, so a few drinks would probably put me out for a week.

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This user's post has been ignored.

As one other poster alluded to, are you feeling depressed because you actually feel guilty?  My thought is that when your not training you don't feel in shape and don't really care about what 4-5 drinks is doing to your body (likely, not that much if it's only once in awhile).  When you're in training, you think to yourself, "ugh, I just wasted those workouts I did, blah blah."

I don't ever feel depressed, but I dislike drinking during training/racing season because I always feel like I'm losing that edge or that it could be ruining some of the hard work I've already put in.  Same phenomenon on the rare occasions I don't eat as healthy as I'd like to.      

Just a thought.

Drew 

  

Couple years for me now...definitely helps on more than one front (specifically, weight gain and hangovers...thankfully, I'm not an alcoholic like my dad and his dad, so I didn't have to address that one).

I probably drink more often than most folks on BT, but never a whole lot in one sitting.  Guilt is not something I ever feel about drinking, but I do know that drinking will make it a little more difficutl to get up in the morning and makes me a little less sharp on my workouts and recovery.  So it goes...

If you're drinking a lot in one sitting, it's probably not healthy anyway!  If your tolerance is lowered, it's probably due to many of the factors mentioned before; dehydration, weight loss, etc..

If you're actually feeling depressed for a few days after drinking, then you need to stop drinking.  Depressing is a serious thing and if it becomes a consistent feeling, it can spiral out of control very quickly.  Not something to play around with!

I can't handle my alcohol at all, and normally avoid it.  I did have some fun getting drunk at my BFF's rehearsal dinner, and felt no guilt at all after.

I had given myself permission in advance to misbehave.

LOL!  I'm sorry if you were serious...but that made me laugh.

Yes.I struggle with depression in general, and take medication for it. Drinking definitely makes it worse. I don't know if it has anything to do with being fitter or not.The depression I get after a few drinks can be debilitating. A few drinks will cause it to last 2 or 3 days. Drinking to the point of intoxication can cause it to last close to a week. After a week at an all inclusive resort a year and a half ago, caused it to last a month. It sucks. Now I just try to limit it to 1 or 2 drinks, because it's not worth it.IMO, the thoughts that it has to do with guilt are way off the mark.

You're under-trained.

In all honesty, I'm not a drinker.  I can go for months without having a drop of anything, and then I may have a small Beam and Coke once a night for a couple of weeks, then maybe one or two beers a week for a short time a few weeks.  I know my limit and don't care to drink.  I control it.  My Dad was an alcoholic, and my brother can count the number of hours he hasn't touched anything in the last 20 years or so (he's an alcoholic).
With that, if I have more than 2 drinks, I'll start to feel a slight buzz, and back off.  It's not worth it to me because I know that I'm a Father and my sons need me to be responsible.

BTW - Welcome back!

Edited by 1stTimeTri 2010-11-04 10:22 PM

I find this interesting because for me, the experience is almost the complete opposite. I tend to handle alcohol much better the more fit I am.  I may not necessarily drink as much in an evening but I definitely wake up better. If I am going through a particularly depressing or anxious phase, then I feel crappy the following days.  But not if I am feeling fit and healthy.