Alcohol/Drinking and your social life....

[calveless wonder]

Not talking about when on.....i never drank when i used to juice. But anyways, here's my dilemna. Wanted to see what you guys thought.

I kidn of fell off the bodybuilding boat about 2 years ago....mainly due to stress,work and relationship problems. Probably the worst thing i could have done as i feel so much better now that im eating well again and hitting the gym as hard as i used to (not the same strength, but the intensity at least).

Anyways....the main mistake i made back when i was in peak shape was that i became a slave to my lifestyle. When i was off, i would never leave my house if i knew i was going to miss a meal (or i couldn't bring it somewhere), or i knew it was a place where i was going to be drinking. I would drink rarely...maybe like once every 2 weeks, and never on cycle (and i plan to continue that part at least if i do back on). I smoked alot of pot and stayed home back then or chilled with friends..that was my vice. I became so introverted and it sucked...i also can't really smoke pot anymore because it makes me very paranoid and depressed.

This is not how i want to live my life...my job is very stressful and i got out a long painful relationship and its important that i go out and have fun at a bar or club occasionally (once or twice a week), and it also helps me make money because i network when i go out and meet clients,etc. I no longer have the same goals to be the biggest mofo out there, but i do want to be healthy and work hard in the gym and look good as i can. When i do drink...only light beers, diet coke/bacardi etc and never eat anything while or shortly after drinking. I see guys down here that drink once/twice a week lightly and are still in pretty damn good shape. not mr O...but enough to be content with your body.

Is there anyway to minimize the effects of alcohol, or do you guys think it is still possible to maintain a good physique while going out and having fun? I want to find that balance....and it's pretty hard. Like i said, during the week and i'm super strict..never cheat, etc and If i plan on dieting down hardcore, i'll probably refrain on a temporary basis...or cut back to the twice a month thing, but i dont want to do that regularly.
thoughts..opinions, experiences?

 

[FreakMonster]

U should be fine, Just don't overdo it.

 

[DJ_UFO]

Well when you really want to keep having steady gains in look for the perfect progress, yes it comes with a lot of sacrifice; it is a totally different way of living. Now if you don't want to compete or be the next celebrity model, you can always do adjustments in your life to make everything compatible. A beer once in a while will not hurt. If you want a little bit of more action get a couple of shots and stop. You don't need to eat every 2-3 hours to be healthy so is ok to go out at night. As long as you don't get home wasted every day at 6am everything is fine. I did it last week (week after Mardi Gras) and lost a lot of muscle.

 

[Sue Me]

I feel you on the no more bud....I gave it up a little over a year ago b/c it was fucking with me too.

 

[billfred]

I tell you drinking is my body's biggest enemy. I am not sure of your age but once you get past 40 - every freakin drink shows up somewhere on your body. Drives me crazy.

I can work out every day of the week and think I am making great progress and go out and get lit one day on the weekend and bam - I am back to square one.

It has to be the #1 cause of excess weight.

 

[calveless wonder]

I'm 24...so it's not a big deal. When i get older i definetely won't have as much need to party or go out. If i were in my mid 30's or later, i'd probably have a different perspective....but i'm starting to make good money and want to enjoy my success/relieve stress while still maintaining/building a decent body.

yeah, pot fucks with my head too much. i have mild OCD, ADD and prone to depression and it completely sets that off. i get very irrational thoughts when i smoke pot, so i had to stop...although part of my loved it especailly since i smoked for years, always in favor of alcohol.

anyways, djufo!! you still live in MIA FL???? Glad to see you've maintained the same perspective that i have..of the latin culture LOL (and i'm half cuban believe it or not!!).
it's only down here, people are dicks
if you move to broward you'd be alot happier. i did and it's alot better.

thanks for the responses so far guys. helps me a bit....i don't feel as guilty, but i'm going to keep in moderation obviously

 

[GoldenDelicious]

im in a similar boat, because i dont use aas and so have to be even more of a nazi.

i actually use something called kava http://www.fijibure.com/kava.htm#a which gives you a feeling very similar to being boozed, but has no calories. or hangover.

one cup kava is like having 4-5 beers. then you can hit a nightspot, and have ONE beer. (ONE) and feel like youve had...much more than one

i usually drink about 2 beers on a saturday night. not only is it great for your waistline, but you take 200 bucks with you when you go out, and come back home with $187.50 after a huuuuuuge night and think...what a scam lololol

 

[SgtSlaughter]

in regards to looking good while driinking a few times a week... IMO depends on genetics, I know some guys that can do it... I for one, can not.

I bloat up like a blow fish... maybe it's because i can eat two pizzas by myself after? lol... but that's another issue.

I agree with ya that it's great to get out and have fun if you're not making money from the lifestyle or competing.

 

[NaturalOnlyAtBirth]

I recently read about a sup you can take that amplifies the effects of alcohol? Someone please fill in my blanks here, I cannot for the life of me remember the name of it? It's not something commonly talked about but I'm sure someone knows. I have no experience with it but I'm very interested in trying it. As far as I know it was legal.

 

[danymal04]

Is it possible to drink alcohol and still remain in form? Well... athletes do it in h.s., college, pros, more of the ones being on in college and pros. There is a guy on my team who can incline bench 355x3 times and on the weekends he gets obliviated. It's all about cardio, the harder the cardio and work out the harder you train, the harder people seem to party to get away from it or just have fun. They don't think about their liver, the effects it will have on them down the road. I garuntee you that most people could care less. I guess it all depends on the mood your in and how much you care about your training...