Do you still drink alcohol?

[Bob]

I used to drink fairly often. I started off as a "social" drinker, but I would take part in social occasions very frequently in my youth. Eventually, I would start stocking something at home. For a time, I would always have a beer or two with dinner, and then a shot of bourbon to help me go to sleep. This was my pattern for a while. For one anniversary, my wife even got this cute little bar looking thing that held the bottles upside down and you could press a glass against them and dispense whatever you had there.

In the past, when I would do low-carb dirty keto, I would devise ways to have a low carb or zero carb drink. I would still make it work and manage to lose weight. But this spring, when I decided to really take charge of doing something about my health, I went clean keto and then carnivore, and there was no more room for a daily drink, or even a weekly drink. This is for me, of course - your mileage may vary.

Since starting this WOE and losing 50 lbs, I have only had a shot of bourbon (my favorite drink) in the first Tuesday of every month, when we go out to support my cousin's Open Mic Night. Outside of that, nothing. I have several bottles on top of my fridge of things I haven't touched in 7-8 months. My wife use to sell wine, and we have tons of that too. It's all collecting dust.

What about you? Do you still drink alcohol?

[Geezy]

I started drinking when I was around 14 or 15. I was hitting bars by 16. In the Army I drank like a fish. After I got out I drank anytime I wasn’t at work.
My father was an alcoholic but you never really knew it because he drank all the time but never appeared intoxicated. The man was in three wars so he had his demons.
As much as I drank, I wasn’t an alcoholic. Seems strange I know but I just didn’t have an addictive personality when it came to alcohol.
When I got married and started having kids I just quit drinking.
After the kids were grown and gone I started back up but I didn’t drink just for the sake of drinking. I drank for flavor. I love a good dark ale or stout. I like trying different whiskeys and have developed a fondness for the Irish.
Then I developed AFib. I was told that alcohol may be a contributing fact but it wasn’t like I drank all the time anymore, just once in awhile. After my four trip to the ER and another stay in the ICU I said that’s enough, I’m tired of this.
So when I started on carnivore back in June I cut out all alcohol. Now I’ve always said that I wasn’t going sober per say, I just wasn’t going to drink unless it was a very special occasion.
So this last weekend I went to Kansas for a pheasant hunt. It was two days of hard walking through very thick grasses and by the second day I was beat and sore and tired. So I decided that I could use a whiskey and raise a toast to my fellow veterans so I had a glass of Jameson.
A short time later I felt two heart palpitations so I figured that’s all I need to know about alcohol and my heart condition


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Debashis]

I do drink alcohol but only once or twice a year i.e, very occasionally. I drink a little if it's a friend's birthday celebration or some other celebration. I drink only beer though (2 bottles at max.). 

[Henrywrites]

I still take alcohol, but I have been able to do it with all carefulness and not drink to stupor each time that I want to drink alcohol. It doesn't make any sense trying to put my health in danger because I want to drink alcohol. There is no point trying to move that way at all.

[Sherry]

I rarely drink, unless it's a social occasion, because I don't like alcohol.  I might have a kahlua and cream, once in a blue moon, because it tastes good.

[Steven2023]

In a word, no.

I will use it for cooking though.

I did just see in a video this evening that drinking alcohol will hinder your weight loss (if that is the goal of your diet). Your body is burning fat, but when you consume alcohol, burning fat is put on hold and has to burn the alcohol instead. They didn't mention how long it takes to burn it all off and switch back to burning fat. But I imagine it would be quite frustrating if you started to gain weight when you're expecting to lose.

[Bob]

I didn't go out in December, so I didn't have my shot of bourbon on the first Tuesday of this month. 

1 hour ago, Steven2023 said:

They didn't mention how long it takes to burn it all off and switch back to burning fat.

This depends on how much alcohol you had. But the video is right. In fact, the body will metabolize alcohol for energy even before carbohydrates. 

I don't know how long it takes to metabolize the alcohol and return to ketosis. Probably at least as long as you are feeling it's effects, and probably a little longer.

[Orweller]

9 hours ago, Steven2023 said:

In a word, no.

I will use it for cooking though.

I did just see in a video this evening that drinking alcohol will hinder your weight loss (if that is the goal of your diet). Your body is burning fat, but when you consume alcohol, burning fat is put on hold and has to burn the alcohol instead. They didn't mention how long it takes to burn it all off and switch back to burning fat. But I imagine it would be quite frustrating if you started to gain weight when you're expecting to lose.

It also impedes muscle building, aka protein synthesis. Especially after 40, it's VERY important to continuously build muscle. In fact a night on the town getting drunk may undo your work in the gym by almost 25%. Alcohol is also a diuretic, the dehydration will interfere with a next visit to the gym. It's very disruptive.  

[Orweller]

I will probably have 2 shots of vodka a month, once a month. If you drink a low amount like that, and you keep it pure (no mixing), you'll remain in keto. I find it actually relaxing, within these limits, without having to pay the price later. 

[charming primrose]

Not as much as I used to. I am more of a social drinker in my older age than I was when I was younger. I tend to stay away from the hard liquor and have become a bougie drinker(as my friends tell me)  meaning, I really only drink wine and champagne unless I'm out with friends.

[Henrywrites]

On 12/29/2023 at 12:46 PM, Orweller said:

I will probably have 2 shots of vodka a month, once a month. If you drink a low amount like that, and you keep it pure (no mixing), you'll remain in keto. I find it actually relaxing, within these limits, without having to pay the price later. 

I agree with you. Having a control over the amount of alcohol that we drink can go a long way in ensuring that we don't get addicted to drinking.