Increased Training - Increased problems with Alchohol (Page 2)

I hardly drink anymore, and if I do it's usually one beer. I don't really feel like drinking more and I've never had a drinking problem, though "back in the day" I used to drink an ok amount and still handle it. I've never felt any psychological implications the day after drinking.

I'm not sure if the depression is related to the level of fitness you are currently at. Some might say endorphins produced from working out might be related, but I'm not so sure of that. I've had friends who are depressing drunks, but can also be really funny drunks. It's a really bipolar type of thing. Also I'm not sure of the implications psychologically after a day or three from drinking.

If something is making you feel bad, then don't do it. It is simple common sense. I mean come on, if drinking makes you depressed... DON'T DRINK. It does not take a genius to figure this out. Normally I would apologize if my post comes across a little insulting, but not in this case. Alcohol is a depressant, what do you expect to happen? I am not saying that people shouldn't drink. Knock yourself out, I don't care, but if it affects you negatively and you still continue to do it... .... ...
OK, I am done with my rant.

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Awesome reading comprehension skills!  She never asked about it making her depressed, she asked about why the effects were more pronounced after getting in better shape as opposed to going for a while without exercise.
   I think part of it is less body fat ( not necessary less body weight) and the fact of "all of my hard work , and now look what I have done" syndrome. So yeah, some physical, some mental.

without going into the morality parts (personally, I'm fairly low on morals anyways...) of the conversation.

I was a big drinker in late high school / college. Partially from self esteem issues (I was the 'loud' clown guy that seemed happy go lucky but was really just insecure) and partly because it was "the thing to do" in a college town.

After enough 'situations' I gave up drinking. Now, I've moved to a more general medium... I have a drink if I'm out, but it truly is a "social" thing, as opposed to what most people consider "social drinking" (ie going out with some people and getting trashed) however, even one or two drinks can really effect me for a day or two.

It's also worth noting that a LOT of "athletic" types drink xxxx and diet drinks. Diet drinks are shown, when mixed with alcohol, to increase your BAC faster than regular soda's... probably due to the lack of sugar/calories.

Other things to consider - alcohol IS a depressant. If you have issues with depression already...that's not a good combination... (insert inappropriate 'uppers' joke here)

Intoxication - toxic - in other words, you ARE basically poisoning yourself when you drink, especially in excess.

Again, not judging at all, but if you are having many more than 3 drinks over the course of an entire night, you may indeed have an issue with alcohol, even if you don't think so or "everyone else is doing it." From experience, alcohol is not something to take lightly, especially if there are other issues as well.  Just my opinion though, YMMV

End of December will be 23 years for me. woohoo!

I don't think I will ever get an M-Dot tat but do have the date I last drank on my arm. My own permanent race number if you will.

A good first guess as many have stated would be dehydration.  Making sure you rehydrate after exercise before a night out would be beneficial.  Monitor the humidity levels in your bedroom.  If they are low, which more than likely is going to occur during the winter get a humidifier.  You can lose a significant amount of water through respiration which can be exacerbated by low humidity.  This can also decrease your chances of illness as well by keeping your sinuses healthy.  

Do you feel guilty after a heavy night of drinking?  Being down for 24 hours afterwards seems feasible but if you are feeling poorly for a few days something is not right.  It could very well be psychological, or more likely a combination of this and physiological effects.

Have a drink, drink a glass of water, rotate.  This will keep a drink in your hand, reduce your alcohol intake, and keep you hydrated better.  This is of course an alternative to avoiding binge drinking completely which would be your best option.

 Good luck

Edited by kssandr 2010-11-05 9:23 AM

I'm not sure if this is along the lines of what you're experiencing, but I have noticed that since I've cleaned up my diet (eating clean, very little wheat), if I have a beer or 2, particularly wheat beers, that I definitely feel stuffy & sluggish the next day.

I never noticed this before I think b/c my diet contained a lot of crap, and yeast/wheat, etc, I had just become very used to feeling stuffy, sluggish and generally blah.   But now that I've eliminated a lot from my diet, I feel a whole lot better when I'm eating clean so I've become more sensitive to it.

2 1/2 years for me and never felt better.

Edited by cpsdad 2010-11-05 12:22 PM

I totally agree with the above.

x2...that's why I drink

I am the opposite, I feel much less guilty about having a glass of wine with dinner when I am training. I feel extremely guilty when I am not training but still drinking. Hence, working out 5-6 days a week means having a glass of wine 5-6 days a week.
On heavy drinking weekends (for example, last weekend I polished off around 15+ bottles of bud on friday night), the next day I feel like garbage obviously. Not depressed though. Just angry because I am wasting a perfectly good day of training to recover from drinking.

Dude.  9 years sober.  And now you say you have 're-developed' a big drinking problem... but you don't want to totally quit.  You're fooling yourself if you think you can ever control it without avoiding it.  A former alcoholic who describes himself as someone who doesn't want to totally quit is an ALCOHOLIC.  Get some help friend.

 Same thing happens with me.  It does have a little to deal with a decreased tolerance, but also from a personal disatisfaction with the mood it puts you in, which makes the situation worse.  I just graduated college and my friends still party all the time.  Last race of hte season will be in 2 days, so after that i plan on getting my alchohol tolerance back up.  Atleast i'd be able to function the next day with a higher tolerance...

I agree (and apologizes for the hijack).

You are fooling yourself my brother. for people with a problem 1 is to many and 1000 is never enough. The only shame in it is NOT getting help.

I have no problems with people drinking who don't have a problem but if you do and continue to drink, well I think in your heart you know.

x2. Been sober for 5 years and it took me a long time to realize that it's just best to avoid it completely. There's no such thing as just one drink for me.

the only liquids I drink are water, orange juice and milk


recently...i've forced myself to drink some gatorade on very long runs in an attempt to avoid long-lasting clumsy recoveries (i.e. feel out of it for one full day).  

i probably developed a phobia against other liquids..I just have no interest or happiness with any other types of drinks or  beverages.
 

Glad to see that I'm not the only one who doesn't enjoy alcohol any more.  As I aged, I found that all I wanted to do was lay down and sleep.  It also made me feel bad so I stopped about 2 years ago.  Certainly don't miss it.

I know what you are saying. I do not have "big nights" anymore for a number of reasons, including I like to get my run in.

Frankly, drinking anything other than one beer in a night more than once a month makes me feel very inconsistent in my lifestyle. Anymore than one drink and really, you are just sitting around drinking, which I really do not feel is a good use of my time at this point in my life. There is a social aspect but, then again, if you are sitting around not drinking with a bunch of people who are just sitting around drinking, there are likely better social situations you can get into. I am not saying it is bad, but for me, there are other things I rather, or should, be doing.

Also, I have recently read that alcohol use before bed can greatly decrease the amount of Human Growth Hormone produced that aids in your recovery that helps you run the next day. I like running more than drinking. So, now, when I drink in the evening I have a horrible feeling that I am sacrificing the run for the beer which is depressing.

Are you sure it's not because you're in the Southern Hemisphere?  Maybe you should move back this way and see if the problem persists.  

x2

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You're not drinking the right stuff. Add some caffeine, like red bull or coke, to your vodka or rum!

Seriously, though, many factors can contribute to your tiredness and depression. Like the others have said, alcohol is a depressant, and its affects accumulate over time. Nutrition and hydration before and after drinking are very important.

I tried not drinking at all while training last year. It worked fine, and I performed well. This year, I have trained harder and more often, but I also didn't even try to abstain. I would actually reward myself after a 3-4 hour workout with a Blue Moon or 2. My big race this year was faster than last, not because of the drinking, but because of the training, and that drink at the finish line was sweet. Drinking while training can be very enjoyable, within limits. I don't feel guilty at all if I imbibe after a hard workout or race. Of course, I'm nowhere near podium level.

Maybe this isn't much help after all.

In a related story, Jessica Jacobs was the first female finisher at today's Ironman Florida race. I was watching the race online, and she was interviewed immediately after finishing. The guy with the mike asked her how she felt, and her answer was, "I NEED BEER!" It was awesome!