Balancing alcohol with physique goals. What the research says

@great_depression OP, this is a great post. I appreciate the layout (i.e., broken up in sections). Yes, alcohol is a poison.

That being said, I still drink socially, but my intake has been decreasing the past three years. I now dislike the sensation of being drunk. Personally, I hope that mocktails and alcohol-less beer become more popular. I would like to enjoy a porter or stout without the alcohol. Plus, I can "drink" without being pressured or judged.
 
@great_depression Killer write-up.

You should not consume more than 15% of your total daily calories from alcohol.

I always took issue with this rule. To me, it likely isn't specific enough. Most beers are only anywhere from 0.5% to 0.10% alcohol. So if I took that rule to heart, I could run wild with it and have ALOT more beer. What I'm sure he means is "No more than 15% of your daily calories from alcohol-containing drinks."
 
@kingvictor
In the United States, one "standard" drink (or one alcoholic drink equivalent) contains roughly 14 grams of pure alcohol, which is found in: 12 ounces of regular beer, which is usually about 5% alcohol. 5 ounces of wine, which is typically about 12% alcohol. 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits, which is about 40% alcohol.

https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/what-standard-drink

In international units (Sorry, America, I hate that your units differ from most people)...

If beer has 5% alcohol, wine has 12% and liquors have 40% of alcohol and if we assume that these drinks have the same density as water:

13 g of alcohol would be:
  • 260 ml of beer (Around a can of beer - 8.79 ounces)
  • 108 ml of wine (3.65 ounces)
  • 32.5 ml of liquor (1.1 ounce)
23 g of alcohol would be:
  • 460 ml of beer (15.55 ounces)
  • 192 ml of wine (6.49 ounces)
  • 57.5 ml of liquor (1.94 ounces)
56 g of alcohol would be:
  • 1120 ml of beer (37.87 ounces)
  • 467 ml of wine (15.79 ounces)
  • 140 ml of liquor (4.73 ounces)
How to know how much pure alcohol you´re consuming:

Multiply the volume of the drink to the percentage written on the bottle/can and divide that by 100.

Example: A 234 ml can of beer that contains 3.4% alcohol, multiply 234 with 3.4 (you get 795.6) and divide by 100. You are consuming nearly 8 g of alcohol. (If your volume unit is in ounce, can use google to chance it to ml)
 
@great_depression In case anyone here is like me and loves a good beer but doesn't want the alcohol to go along with it I have to mention that there is a bit of a revolution going on right now in non-alcoholic beers. They don't taste like swill anymore, rather they really do taste like solid craft beers! Also, these beers are typically only ~70 calories apiece since there is no alcohol.

Some breweries:
 
@lizzie41 I always thought i was the only one doing this. I drink once a week religiously but no restrictions, and i have had quite nice gains in strength and mass recently. I think if you condensate the alcohol on an unit of time (no more than once per week or ideally twice a month) you can easily outgrow the bad things that come from alcohol than if you drink a little but everyday, even if you get smashed from booze. I do this and im leaner than my friends who do booze every day.
But thats my two cents!
 
@great_depression I get incredibly drunk when I drink. Because when I do I don't stop untill I fall asleep or lose consciousness.

My psychology is so that this seems unavoidable. I therefore don't allow myself to go out drinking more than 1/month AT MOST. But then when I do I take no precautions

FAR from optimal but I just work with how I work and how I wish to live my life
 
@great_depression This is a great write up and I enjoyed reading it. I always say the same thing to people who ask me this, "why do you need to drink alcohol?" Why is it so easy to turn away from junk food but not beer? I guess I'm wired differently but for those wanting a non-sarcastic answer, they'll be linked here!
 
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