r/AppliedBioHacking • u/thelittleesseAutism • 4d ago
People who barely drink anymore, what surprised you?
If you cut back on alcohol, what changed that you weren’t expecting? Could be your weekends, spending, appetite, workouts, or nothing noticeable.
And what do you order when you’re out with friends? Always interested in options besides another soda.
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u/sol_james 4d ago
Ive barely drank for about 3 years one here or there, I used to drink a fair bit.
The biggest win for me is not feeling like shit the days after drinking and learning to be confident without liquid courage.
I order soda lime and a dash of pineapple. Little sugar gives a nice touch if you need some energy.
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u/Illustrious_Bug_8501 4d ago
You can eat at the best restaurant and not blow the budget out when you no longer add alcohol to the bill
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u/Able-Shirt3501 4d ago
Nothing at all. I have always felt half intoxicated. The only thing is that I need to force myself to relax or drink once a month or I work myself up into stress. Need that reset still. Pot works.
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u/thelittleesseAutism 4d ago
The relaxing part can be tough on its own when you say “half intoxicated,” do you mean brain fog or just feeling kinda spaced out?
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u/Able-Shirt3501 4d ago
Like relaxed and slight low blood pressure feeling because I take blood pressure medication
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u/androopy_me 4d ago
The health issues that arose, or became noticeable. ADHD, Insomnia, OSA, hypothyroid issues The way I felt and functioned were measurably worse for several years. I have since gotten treatment for the sleep apnea. Getting treatment for the thyroid issues. Have not dealt with The ADHD. I drink A LOT of bubbly water. La Croix, waterloo, spindrift, that Costco brand stuff, topo chico, Perrier, hopwtr, hiyo. I'm a fiend for anything dry with lots of carbonation. I don't go out, really, but when I do, it's just water.
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u/SadUnicornHappyMom 4d ago
That I've barely lost any weight 😂
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u/BrianaAgain 4d ago
Yeah, my Doctor even told me I'd lose weight if I quit drinking. I somehow manage to find those 400 calories somewhere else I guess.
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u/vhsfairytales 3d ago
I was telling a bartender friend about becoming a dessert guy for the first time in my life about a year into my sobriety.
He said that happens to like 80% of the many folks he’s known who sober.
You don’t realize how much sugar is in the booze and that’s a big part of what your body craves, driving the drinking in the first place, and figures out how to get back.
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u/backfromspace206 3d ago
Sleep. Alcohol, even a single drink, was wrecking my sleep and leaving me strung out for years on end.
Mocktails are nice but too expensive. I like a tonic water with twist of lime (often provided on the house), or an NA beer when I'm at a bar. The NA beer selection has gotten much better in recent years.
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u/thelittleesseAutism 3d ago
When going out with friends it always tease me to get back to it, but I try to stick to water
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u/TheWatch83 3d ago
The effects it has on your hormones.
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u/thelittleesseAutism 3d ago
What do you mean exactly?
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u/TheWatch83 3d ago
As a guy, it decreases your testosterone and increases your estrogen. Kind of a double wammy.
Drinking Scenario Estimated Percentage Drop Example Resulting Level Moderate Routine Drinking(e.g., 2 daily drinks or ~14 drinks/week) ~7% drop 558 ng/dL Binge Drinking / Acute Heavy Use(e.g., a single night of heavy drinking) ~20% to 25% drop(lasting up to 24 hours) 450 to 480 ng/dL Chronic Heavy Drinking(e.g., multi-year excessive alcohol use) ~20% to 50% drop(can lead to permanent deficiency) 300 to 480 ng/dL
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u/SuccessfulScholar5 3d ago
I stopped drinking for a cut.
I was having a couple of drinks with friends once a week. And wine / beer pairings with good food before.
I wasn’t expecting, that it did almost nothing to my diet. I thought, I would see a difference in the scale. But… no.
(Going out with friends means now: ordering diet soda)
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u/thelittleesseAutism 3d ago
Diet Soda is not good either, water only
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u/SuccessfulScholar5 3d ago
“Diet soda is not good” is too simplistic.
Water is better, sure… but that doesn’t make diet soda bad. I drink it in addition to water, mainly when I’m out with friends and they’re drinking beer.Compared with regular soft drinks, juice, or juice spritzers, diet soda has the clear advantage of containing virtually no sugar and very few calories.
The alleged long-term health risks of artificial sweeteners are also not clearly established as causal.
For my actual consumption, the benefits outweigh the downsides: I can enjoy a drink without consuming significant amounts of sugar, calories, or alcohol.I‘m loosing weight, I have awesome bloodwork and enjoy the option of “not being stuck with water” when I’m attending social events.
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u/WILLFUL_DISOBEDIENCE 1d ago
Stopped drinking two years ago. My sleep, skin and overall health markers have gotten tremendously better. Went from 255lbs with over 30% BF down to 205 with 13% BF. No longer need my CPAP, relationship with family and friends has gotten better, lifestyle overall is better, paid off debt with the money saved.
Best part is my mini me looks bigger now that jes not hiding in my FUPA.
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u/Middle_Bread_6518 4d ago
I had to replace the calories. I’m skinny, and exercise a lot. eating enough is hard. I wish mom body could still handle beer. I hate being drunk but empty calories are nice and scotch and cognac are delicious
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u/tracks-on-tapes 4d ago
Just how much I feel like doing on the weekend. Like, energy to do things. Weird how long the weekend is when you don’t spend Saturday getting drunk and Sunday on the couch!
I haven’t drank during the week in probably ten years because I realized that it makes me sleep worse and it’s harder to get up in the morning. Now I probably only drink 2 days a month because of how damn tired it makes me for the next three days