Balancing alcohol with physique goals. What the research says

[mdnavygirl]

@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.

 

[kervinjacque]

@great_depression “Go for a drink to the pub in the morning”

That old chestnut can get dangerous very quickly hahaha

 

[sergiomonterroso]

@great_depression I just gave up on the alcohol all together. Look at that long read. Go for non caloric drugs. Problem solved.

 

[sunshineflowers]

@sergiomonterroso Which would you suggest that are non hallucinogenic?

 

[sergiomonterroso]

@sunshineflowers Weed - but they are a bad idea on a cut.

 

[maidenvoyage1]

@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]

@great_depression What is an example of 13g of alcohol, 23g alcohol, and 56g alcohol, and more? Is there a reasonably easy way to convert %ABV in fluid ounces to g Alcohol on the fly?

 

[frankied1]

@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)

 

[maidenvoyage1]

@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:

• https://wellbeingbrewing.com
• http://www.bravus.com/
• https://www.athleticbrewing.com/
• https://www.nirvanabrewery.com/

 

[esthermyrtle]

@great_depression Very thorough and digestible, thank you! I read the entire thing. Must have taken a long time to piece together so thank you very much and rest easy!

 

[lynae]

@great_depression Great post !! Thanks for all your hard work

 

[lizzie41]

@great_depression Occam's Razor: the simplest answer is probably the best one. Wanna get hammered? Limit it to once a week, it won't kill your gains.

 

[dawn16]

@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!

 

[dawn16]

@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

 

[stephen215]

@great_depression I appreciate the effort this took, and I humbly beg for a TLDR, because I am a cretin.

 

[great_depression]

@stephen215 I did my best to summarize it in the "Overall conclusions" section.

 

[stephen215]

@great_depression Oh perfect man, thanks!

 

[claned]

@great_depression Interesting read