# Being athletic and low alcohol intolerance...



## Glover Fan (18 Sep 2011)

Morning all.

I rarely drink, maybe once a month tops. When I was at uni a few years ago I'd binge at least once a week.

I'm 5'10 and 10st, I think I'm pretty fit, cycle 3 times a week and I have a healthy diet.

But I'm worse than a woman when it comes to alcohol. Went out with some friends I haven't seen for years last night and I could tell from the second pint of strongbow that I was quickly losing full control of my thinking and ability to stand up straight. We had a lovely meal, I avoided wine as that would have been game over for me. I must add that this wasn't a party atmosphere just some friendly drinks in a pub.

Got to 5 pints over a 4 hour period and I'm pretty tiddly. The worst thing I find is that my stomach just completely bloats. Generally can't fit anything more in my gut, like someone fitted a gastric band overnight! Felt really sick.

I don't mind being a lightweight, it's cheaper after all, but I don't like the fact I can't even enjoy a few drinks without feeling like I've drank 10 pints and downed as many shots.

Had anybody else found that since drinking less and exercising lots that your body repels alcohol?


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## Bobtoo (18 Sep 2011)

It's just the infrequent drinking, not even the exercise.

The best solution for nights out is to drink bottles of something reasonably light, and perhaps miss yourself out when it's your round, that way you can drink with your friends and keep up.


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## Becs (18 Sep 2011)

Your liver needs training! :-)


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## srw (18 Sep 2011)

5 pints of Strongbow is 127ml of pure alcohol - nearly 13 units. That's the equivalent of very nearly half a bottle of vodka. It's also very nearly half a stone by weight of liquid - 5% of your body weight. No wonder you didn't feel that great afterwards.

I'm all in favour of drinking to excess occasionally, but it does have consequences, especially if you aren't used to it.


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## ColinJ (18 Sep 2011)

Bobtoo said:


> It's just the infrequent drinking, not even the exercise.





Becs said:


> Your liver needs training! :-)


It's true!

I went from having 4 or 5 pints most nights to not drinking at all for nearly 2 years. When I finally decided to have a drink again at a family meal, 1 pint of Carling Black Label (yes, I know - that's all they served!) had me slurring and giddy-headed. It took several weeks of casual drinking to get my tolerance back.


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## numbnuts (18 Sep 2011)

I haven't drunk since 1980, now 1/2 a shandy would make me pissed  when I go out I drink orange juice now


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## lukesdad (18 Sep 2011)

I wouldn t worry about the girl thing Lukesmum could drink me under the table any night of the week.


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## Dayvo (18 Sep 2011)

Sounds counter-productive, but to build up a better resistance to alcohol, little and often is the 'key'.

When I played rugby and cricket, I would regularly drink vast quantities of beer, and, although I'd be hungover massively, I wouldn't be wrecked during the course of the evening - just the nausea and headache the following day.

I let my hair down yesterday and had four pints of Newcastle Brown, and although I wasn't drunk, I had a rotten headache earlier this morning. I don't drink often these days, though, as it's £8 a pint here! 

So the CC Christmas party in London should be fun (what, with all those real ales on offer and CM shouting the rounds!  ).


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## ttcycle (18 Sep 2011)

I used to drink a fair amount and handle it well.

I did find though thatcwhen I became super healthy with cycling a few years ago that I became sensitive to things that made me feel really sluggish ie soft drinks, chips and booze. I drink very infrequentally and hardly at all these days so I do think when youre very healthy it might just be that you're a bit more aware of your body


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## Crackle (18 Sep 2011)

I'm similiar. I don't drink very much or often. It can be weeks between drinks and the first one has a profound effect. If I do drink more often then it has less effect but my overall clarity and tiredness decrease & increase. I tend to save drinking for social occasions.


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## stephec (18 Sep 2011)

ColinJ said:


> It's true!
> 
> I went from having 4 or 5 pints most nights to not drinking at all for nearly 2 years. When I finally decided to have a drink again at a family meal, 1 pint of Carling Black Label (yes, I know - that's all they served!) had me slurring and giddy-headed. It took several weeks of casual drinking to get my tolerance back.



Same here, although I can manage a few pints of Stella before it begins to take hold.

I've so far resisted the temptation to put some serious drinking training though.


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## Crankarm (21 Sep 2011)

Peer pressure is the reason for your predicament. If you don't like alcohol or want to drink it then don't. Simples.

Your body is now healthier and eschews alcohol. It can't deal with it which is a good thing. You should listen to it rather than trying to poison yourself.

If you hardly see these people what do you or they care about each others' drinking habits? The friendships can't add up to much if you can't be yourself. Be more assertive and say no alcohol for me. Make up a lie if you it gives you strength to say no, such as you are now a full on triathlete and you ditched alcohol years ago and feel so much better. When are your boozy friends going to do the same? It sounds like you had an evening from hell with these drunks. Think of Mo's tavern in the Simpsons. What losers.

What's with the misogynistic comment about being worse than a woman? How old are you?


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## zoxed (22 Sep 2011)

Others have commented on the building of resistance to alcohol, but from a personal point of view exercise definitely changes the way alcohol affects me. The worst, for me, is to have a (i.e. one) beer the evening of a training ride. The evening after it has less effect. But if I drank now what I regularly drank 2 or 3 years ago when I was not training regularly I would either be falling over, or sick :-(

Personally I am happy it works that way: exercise greatly reduces my desire for alcohol, I can not see a down side to that !!


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## HLaB (22 Sep 2011)

I wasn't that much heavier when I lived in Dublin 10st (5ft9) and I certainly could handle the odd binge then and still function the next day but now I'm a lot fitter but even though I'm only a wee bit lighter 9st7-10, I can't hold my pints any more either, I think resistance is key and I don't have much at the moment.


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## jay clock (22 Sep 2011)

I have drunk less and less and less due to triathlons and the fact that I don't really like booze. Not beer. A nice glass of wine on odd occasions. But I can live without it. And I am a tough enough personality to tell the "men" who call me a "woman" that I don't want a drink. 

My other line is that seeing my Dad being an alcoholic sort of put me off. He was never that bad but it coloured my view.

Being pissed is nice though. How can I do that without booze? Pot?


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## Bluebell72 (22 Sep 2011)

Crankarm said:


> Peer pressure is the reason for your predicament. If you don't like alcohol or want to drink it then don't. Simples.
> 
> Your body is now healthier and eschews alcohol. It can't deal with it which is a good thing. You should listen to it rather than trying to poison yourself.
> 
> ...



 You're the man!


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## cookiemonster (27 Sep 2011)

Dayvo said:


> Sounds counter-productive, but to build up a better resistance to alcohol, little and often is the 'key'.
> 
> When I played rugby and cricket, I would regularly drink vast quantities of beer, and, although I'd be hungover massively, I wouldn't be wrecked during the course of the evening - just the nausea and headache the following day.
> 
> ...


*
*


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## cookiemonster (27 Sep 2011)




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## funnymummy (27 Sep 2011)

I was a licensee in my former (BeforeBubbas) life, it was a local tradition that the first customer through the door had to buy the landlord/lady a drink. Although I was never drunk, I drank all day long, just little sips from a glass of wine on the bcak of the bar..Over time you tend to become immune. On a good night out I would leave the majority of blokes rolling round on the floor!
I didn't drink for almost 4yaers from being pregnant with #2, to 'weaning' #3... First night out I had 2 glasses of Rose & had to be poured into a taxi at 20.30, I spent the night in the bathroom & 2 days with the curtains drawn.
I am glad to announce that it was a one off, i'm back to my usual fish like self! 
But I don't drink for the 3/4 days in the run up to a long ride (well only water)


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## Nebulous (28 Sep 2011)

We used to meet up with a couple socially who only started drinking in their thirties. They started by sharing a can of sweetheart stout between them. They claimed that had an obvious effect. 

By the time we met them they had moved on a bit although still not heavy drinkers - but I used to idly wonder what it would be like getting to thirty with a totally unsullied liver!


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