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

 

[lekan]

@great_depression This was a really excellent write up. Thank you! So many of my questions answered with scientific citations.

 

[julesc]

@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!