Does Cycling Have a Drinking Problem?
 

I am not plugged into any sort of bike culture, so this was news to me.
https://www.bicycling.com/health-nut...cohol-effects/

I can’t imagine a scenario or friend group that would consider 6 beers a day normal.

I have a rowdy friend group. Climbers, rafters, skiers, and even brewers. Nobody drinks that much. Reading this article, I couldn’t help but think that she was an alcoholic who was trying to use the mountain town culture to justify why she couldn’t keep it in check.

All that said. I drink 1-2 beers a day damn near every day. It’s actually quite a lot. I take breaks. A totally dry month here, a dry week there. Seems to help. I should still cut back.

I’ve never been an event drinker. I can’t breathe my best with a couple beers in me. I learned this firsthand from my pedicab days. Beer feels too heavy after a ride. Somehow, it’s sublime after a day of climbing or skiing.

News to me, too. Among other points, I was unaware of the state of current research on the deleterious effects of (any amount or type of) alcohol on health. From the article:

"To put it plainly, alcohol is bad for your health. Its negative impacts start at roughly a drink a day, and science that once seemed to support any health benefits of so-called “moderate drinking”—much of which was funded or promoted by alcohol companies—has since largely been debunked, including the myth that red wine is good for heart health. Every expert I spoke with for this story agreed that whatever minor benefits of light drinking remain, like lower blood sugar, are outweighed by the downsides, like increased cancer risk."

There are certainly people who do have a drinking problem anywhere but cycling does sometimes have maybe more problems (or at least I notice it a bit more) I certainly have been drinking a touch more because of cycling. Luckily no issues, I am a rare drinker just drinking more than I have in the past. Granted there is also a really excellent liquor store near work and I do work at a bike shop but yeah a few drinks a month luckily is not much.

I think people need to learn to enjoy alcohol without over indulging or if they cannot they need to do without. It is a tough road but doable. My friend is 19 years sober this year.

Yep.

I have a drinking problem, bikes aren't the cause.

Leaving the house is bad for your health as is not leaving the house is bad for your health. One of my favorite thinkers was C.S. Lewis, a WW1 veteran. He met with Tolkien to discuss Middle Earth on a daily basis while smoking a pipe and having a pint or three. One can be healthy and not relevant.

3 beers everyday which works out to 21 per week and that's all I drink... I don't drink any hard liquor.

Still remember a beery uncle at Thanksgiving breathing cigarette smoke and alcohol at 11-year-old me while saying, "Don't ever start smoking or drinking, kid." I said "OK." Never did start. I'm an idiot in many ways, but drinking isn't one of them.

Just fyi: alcohol is alcohol. In terms of negative effects on your body, emotional state, ability to drive a car, etc, there is no difference between beer and hard liquor -- or wine, for that matter. In fact, with the growing popularity of craft beer, one can quite easily order a twelve ounce beer that has MORE alcohol than a shot of hard liquor or a standard five ounce glass of wine. And since many establishments sell pints of beer, it's even easier.

I'm no teetotaler and I'm no scold, but don't delude yourself into thinking that three beers per day is somehow healthier than, say, three shots of whiskey. It's not.

Some of our favorite BFers have spent some drying out time in the pokie.:lol: But maybe they aren't cyclists.....

Huh. I wouldn’t drink alcohol before or while driving a four-wheeled vehicle that is gravitationally stable in the upright position.

So, it also never really occurred to me to drink alcohol and then operate a two-wheeled vehicle that must constantly remain balanced over the contact points. Silly me.

The article is a good reminder that really, athletes (and others) are considerably better off not drinking or at least not drinking on a regular basis.

Otto

I'm a drinker, with a cycling problem.

I drink. l fall down. No problem.

Cycling does have a drinking problem, but not as stated in the story link in the OP's post. Its more alcoholics forced to ride bicycles, and their disregard for traffic regulations while riding.

Also whisky is lower in calories. Not saying any of this is healthy it is not but yeah 3 beers a day every day is a lot. One beer, OK still not healthy but there are worse things and I drink alcohol so I cannot judge someone for enjoying some beer but three daily does seem steep. You do you Wolfie but you might seek some help as much as we all joke around here alcoholism is no joke and if you need help, you should seek it out or ask folks around here. Religious or not there are support services out there or maybe you can do it on your own and just cut back a little.

I don't want to judge anyone but don't feel like alcohol is a contest or something you have to drink daily in larger quantities.

To those who need help:
https://www.aa.org (I know some atheists in the program who have been sober a long time thanks to AA)
https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline
https://www.sossobriety.org

For those trying to help others:
https://al-anon.org
https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health

There are probably other great resources find one that works for you if you need it.

Back when I was drinking there was no way I'd have done any cycling. Too busy drinking.
Glad those days are behind me.

Whiskey may be lower in calories but the alcohol content is way too high, I never liked hard liquor...I don't worry about extra calories, never been overweight yet. Beer has low alcohol content and most of the calories are from carbs, it's almost like liquid bread.

Not quite a beer and a shot of whisky is about the same content wise 1.5 oz to say a 12 oz beer they generally equal out to about 0.6 oz of alcohol. It is possible I might pour a little more whisky in glass to enjoy but generally probably not much more than say 2-3oz worth (which is typically around 2oz if enjoying neat or on the rocks and 3oz for a double) vs three beers and if you aren't doing it as much it is slightly better. 3 beers a day is quite a bit it is more alcohol then total liquid in a shot and I don't know that anyone's system really needs that.

Beer bread however is quite delicious, Trader Joes had some mix that was quite good and I made it and nearly ate the whole thing in day but I stopped myself luckily in that scenario you aren't getting much if any alcohol in the system and mostly just the flavor which is fine by me.

The calories for some can be an issue but it is more the alcohol to be concerned with.

I think I’m safe….pretty much ride by myself, and don’t have a desire to gotta bar by myself so I go home…….where I’ll probably have at most 1, perhaps if it’s a Saturday, two.

Having a BUD ZERO right NOW. 0.0 Alcohol, NO SUGAR, low carb and Heineken also has 0.0

Drink all the beer you want. But please understand that alcohol is alcohol. It doesn't matter whether it comes from whiskey, wine, beer, or whatever. If you think that drinking alcohol in the form of beer is somehow safer or less harmful than drinking it in the form of hard liquor, you are woefully ignorant.

I'm not sure that's something you want to admit to in a public forum.

Read an article a month ago in a leading publication that stated the distance runners, marathon and ultramarathoners, tend to drink more than the general population. Endurance cyclists as well as the celebratory social nature of biking with friends can easily follow the same pattern. If you really work out hard, what’s a few extra drinks?

After learning about the negative health effects of alcohol, not talking about alcoholism which is a big duh, but the poisonous effects of regular drinking as well as performance impacts of even a glass or two of spirits, I have cut back to a couple of drinks a week from one or two per night. Now an occasional drink is seen as special, opposed to something to do around dinner.

Do feel the article is a bit sensational.

Individual cyclists may have a problem with alcohol.

Most of the group rides I go on take a final lap to go get a beer. Some go and have something non-alcoholic. Some go home instead of to the watering hole. I have never felt ostracized because I don't drink and ride

I hardly drink any alcohol at all, but every once in a while a pint or a wee drop just seems like a good idea, and you can't observe certain holidays without wine.