Young folk: Go easy on the booze

[N.S.]

I've been sleeping the best sleep ever in my life, after decades of issues. I even commented it on here over the years.

However, the last time I drank it screwed up my sleep so bad that 2 hours of drinking had 2 days of negative ramifications.

If you wear an Oura or a fitness device, you can really track how it impacts your sleep, readiness, and other factors.

Drinking is one of many things culture brainwashes you into believing "fun times!" -- from commercials to movies -- if you drink, you'll have fun. Nothing could be further from the truth. A lie that ranks up there with "go to college and the American dream is yours."

Exactly this. I've been wearing an Oura for years, and can see the data on how alcohol affects my sleep.

It's where my 1-2 drinks 'rule' comes from.

For me - and it's different for everyone - being in generally very good physical health, I know that (adjusting for the time, general stress levels / sleep levels in the previous days) 1 drink makes almost no difference to my sleep, 2 rarely makes a difference, and more than 2 spikes my resting heart rate, destroys my deep sleep, I wake up a bit groggy etc. So 2 is generally the cut off point, but 1 or 0 is an even better number for me.

For me energy is a way bigger priority than drinking and its real or perceived side benefits, hence the simple rule to myself I've implemented to make those decisions easy.

Caveat to all of that is I know how destructive alcohol is. The optimum level from a health perspective is definitely zero (I don't care what the paid shills to the red wine industry say! Objectively it's not true that red wine could be good for your heart), but I know my reasons why I do it, what the trade offs are, and also why I restrict it to 1-2 days a week x 1-2 drinks each time max.

 

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[DMass]

We’ll I can now add to this thread…

I’ve been quite a drinker all my life but last night/this morning I am now tee total.

Why you ask?

A nice 3 inch gash above my eye which could’ve easily been my eye.

I had a few last night and slipped in the bathroom and smashed my head on the sink. This resulted in a nice gash that I now need to have stitches for.

This is a massive F*ck up as I am meant to be filming next week and there’s no way I can film with my face a mess like that. I’m guessing I’m going to have a nice black eye too.

I’m going to be falling behind in my schedule now which I really can’t afford to do.

Don’t drink kids. It’s bad for you

 

[David Fitz]

I saw this video this morning and it gave me instant anxiety...

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1628784946088230912

Why such anxiety? Cause I used to drink this recklessly a lot in my early 20s.
I drunk drove, got wasted in bars and got in fights, got thrown out of places and would pass out somewhere.

All that stupid stuff.

And luckily (I don't know how) I managed to avoid any major physical damage to me or anyone else.
It would have taken just one moment going differently to have something horrible like this happen.

I could have easily killed myself, or killed someone else, if 1 of 1000s of things had just gone a little differently.

That being said I still did a lot of social and emotional damage.
Caused drama, got in fights, wrecked a few relationships.

Because... you are an idiot when you drink.
And while it's hyped up as a ton of fun, you are often playing with your whole life.

When you are young you seem invincible. Like reality has yet to set in and that you can escape any set of events.
But once you are over 18 you are legally an adult and if things go south - your whole life can be over before it really begins.

I don't want to make some big rant thread, cause I have also had 100s of great nights too, but just to say be smart.
Try come up with some systems to prevent anything like this from ever being close to happening to you.

And also try lay off or quit the drink as you get older - because if you are high jinx then eventually your luck will run out.

I haven't drank now properly in a long time. And have had maybe two tipsy nights in the last 4-5 years.
And my life has steady progressed since. In a way it never did when I drank heavily.

So ya hope this helps, be smart and don't ever let yourself get in a situation like this.

I used to do this myself. My parents moved out to the countryside when I was 17 so I used to drink and drive home. Don't know how I never got caught or casued an accident.

Now I don't even drink, can't stand it. Wish I gave it up years ago. I feel much healthier and happier without it.

It's such a bad part of our culture. I was speaking to a guy who moved here from Greece recently and he was asking why do Irish people get shit faced because in Greece they go out, have a few drink and tapas and go home. He said in Ireland you drink as much as you can, get sick, get in fights, get in arguments and wake up the next day with a 2 day hangover. Why do you do this he said? I just shrugged my shoulders and said I've no clue