Need Tips on Alcohol

Being a college student and a bodybuilder makes this debate over what and if to drink an constant one in my mind. All of my buddies and roommates go out every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, & Saturday…and I’m not one to turn down a good social event. But I’ve found some good ways to not make people question how obcessive compulsive I am about health by instead of just sipping on my usual johnnie walker red/black on the rocks or being forced to play beerpong and drink natty light, I’ll take a red ‘party’ solo cup and put maybe two shots of johnnie in it (100 cals) and then fill the rest up with club soda.

It tastes surprisingly good and will allow you to keep a drink in your hand the whole party so that whether your at the gym or a social event, noone has the balls to call you a pussy…

Any more ideas for the college students around T-Nation

caldwells finest …

Sooo, not drinking makes you OCD about your health does it? Personally, I have never given a flying fuck about what any jackasses have to say about my lifestyle. How come trashing your body is soooo cool, but if you take care of yourself you’re a health “nut?”
My roomates in college alll used to talk shit and say I was stupid because I spent 40 or $50 on my supplements each month. They would usually spend 50 or $60 a week on booze(barring a kegger), and it would be all pissed away or vomited up by morning.
You could just not drink. It’s not so bad. Really. Of course, none of this applies to those who drink sensibly. Every now and then I’ll have something.

[quote]Riley33 wrote:
alls to call you a pussy…

Any more ideas for the college students around T-Nation[/quote]

During some work functions where I didnt want to drink, I would go to the bar and ask for a straight coke in a short glass. This way I would not even be questioned about whether or not I was drinking. The big advantage of that as well is that if I explained to the bartenders casually why I was doing it they usually gave me free coke all night.

I only did this at work functions though. If it was a social thing and I wasnt drinking, I would just tell anyone who had a problem with it to fuck off.

[i][u]TOP SHELF VODKA AND SODA WATER[/i][/u]

This is THE least damaging drink on this earth. Nice clean, clear alcohol with calorie free, hydration keeping water.

[quote]Soldierslim wrote:
[i][u]TOP SHELF VODKA AND SODA WATER[/i][/u]

This is THE least damaging drink on this earth. Nice clean, clear alcohol with calorie free, hydration keeping water.[/quote]

Agreed, vodka and seltzer is definitely a good choice. However all in all, if you’re going to go out and get wasted, drink what you want because in the end, booze is booze.

[quote]chewie wrote:
forlife wrote:
I’m pretty new to the world of alcohol

You should try Jager. Good stuff.
[/quote]

Jager is delicious, but is this some sort of reverse psychology method? Send him out looking for good times with Jager, have him come home swearing off the Devil Juice forerver? Haha! Prepare to meet your doom kid!

Jager and tequila shots, youth, and bars…like poking a rabid badger with a short stick. Oh, the times to be had…haha!

Yeah,but it has to be organic,lol.
J/k.

[quote]CrewPierce wrote:
Cthulhu wrote:
Ahh,life is way to short to miss a jack daniels.

I have one every now and then on the weekends or when on vacation.

Can’t keep me away from my jack.

Haha damn what you know, we do agree on something! Must be in VA in us![/quote]

Thanks for the tips…I do like rum and diet coke so maybe that is a good choice.

Just for the sake of argument: if you wanted to get tipsy/drunk on the least amount of calories, what would be the best drink for that?

Any man I know would not be caught dead with a fruit drink in his hands.

Beer is my personal favorite drink since 1973 (legally, the drinking age was 18 in this state back then, even though I was illegally consuming it for many years prior) Water, malt, barley, hops and yeast are good for you. I like the darker ales like Newcastle Brown or Guinness on tap only…the bottle turns it into poison. If I want more bang for my buck I drink bourbon. I like Maker’s Mark and Booker’s single barrel on occasion.

These are my preferences and are not meant to influence you. If you don’t like something, don’t drink it.

seriously though, getting a little bit drunk on your cheat night isn’t going to make you lose sight of your abs.

I like the idea of top shelf vodka and soda water…maybe a lime or lemon wedge as well…maybe both! A personal favorite drink of mine is the Moscow Mule: Gin, Club Soda, Lime juice, on the rocks in a tall glass.

It was my understanding that ethanol in your stomach will cause an increased excretion of hydrochloric acid. This was my basis for making sure to only drink with some quantity of food already in my stomach, preferrably also something that can help quench the elevated acidic environment…perhaps greens+ is not a bad idea? I’ve also ate some good qualtiy fats, saturated or monounsaturated only prior to going out in an attempt to keep my stomach full longer…

I have also made damn sure not to drink on training days (although no ones perfect:) due to the decrease in T levels, protein metabolism, ect… Does anyone KNOW to what degree protein systhesis is disrupted with one or two drinks (say over the course 2-3 hours)???

WTF is the obsession with clear drinks as if that imparts some type of health benefit. Maybe we should eat only transparent food too?

Anyhow, if you are going to be able to control your eating, I’d suggest something like diet rye and coke. They always look at you funny for a second if you order it that way as well.

If you won’t be controlling your eating, don’t obsess, just do whatever you want to do, assuming that doesn’t involve fruity drinks.

I dunno man, I had 4 pints of guiness the night before, got a solid 8 hours of sleep, had a good breakfast in the morning, worked, then had a great workout.

I’d have to say beer, 1 or 2 in a night isn’t bad. you’re only looking at about ~150-200 calories a pint.

[quote]TKL.ca wrote:
I dunno man, I had 4 pints of guiness the night before, got a solid 8 hours of sleep, had a good breakfast in the morning, worked, then had a great workout.

I’d have to say beer, 1 or 2 in a night isn’t bad. you’re only looking at about ~150-200 calories a pint.

[/quote]

True, I seem to have kick ass workouts after a night out (assuming I’m not totally sloshed and hung over). Guinness on tap is like Christmas every Friday.

[quote]forlife wrote:

Just for the sake of argument: if you wanted to get tipsy/drunk on the least amount of calories, what would be the best drink for that?[/quote]

Did you not read my post?

Look, everyone likes different drinks for different reasons, and if you’re going to get wasted on a cheat day then fuckin’ go for it and don’t be a pussy about it. Have fun, live life.

BUT, the OP asked for the least damaging, calorically lowest drink, which is top shelf vodka with carbonated water.

Vroom, run your own little “study”. One night drink nothing but either rum or whisky untill drunk. The next morning rate the hangover. Then stay sober for a few days or so. Then drink nothing but top shelf vodka and soda water untill drunk. Then report the next days feelings. compare results. … Clear alcohol (especially vodka) wins, especially when no sugar is combined with the alcohol (as in soda water).

[quote]forlife wrote:
Are some kinds of alcohol “healthier” than others? If I want to minimize damage, what mixed drinks would be a good choice?
[/quote]

Personally, I’m a beer drinker, but there are a lot of ways to look at the “healthier” choice of alcohol. Straight liquour is going to have the least calories. Beer and wine have polyphenols and especially red wine has been touted for the reservatol. I’d avoid anything with diet soda since it has the artificial sweeteners. Also, mixed drinks have a lot of extra sweetener. Think about it. Your liver is working overtime to detox that alcohol. When all the sugar, especially the fructose, gets down there its just going to become a fatty liver and isn’t going to do you any good.

[quote]forlife wrote:
Anything you can do to buffer the negative effects of drinking? For example, do the detoxifying effects of Greens+ help?
[/quote]

Whenever I eat a big steak and then go out drinking I always have a good night without a hangover, so I think there’s definitely something to that. Also, I heard about a product called Chaser that is supposed to stop a hangover but I never tried it.

Also, I’d like to echo some of what others have posted. If you aren’t cutting, go out and have a few drinks and are able to have a good workout the next day then it’s not a big deal. You just have to be brutally honest with yourself and also don’t get totally wasted.

Drink LOTS of water and take your ZMA before you pass out. It may not help your physique much, but your head and gut will feel a lot better the next day.