veganbikes

Heck there are beers at 40% and up if you want to go crazy. 3 of those like say the BrewMeister Snake Venom and you will be on your keester pretty quick.

rosefarts

Grocery store beer in Utah was 3.2% for years. That only changed in 2020.

Colorado was 3.2 until about that time.

I think that was also popular in the Midwest.

Kentucky had dry counties up until pretty recently too.

mstateglfr 

Whats really wild is three-two beer was/is actually about 4% alcohol by volume.

shelbyfv

At least they have an excuse!

Sorcerer

I stopped drinking 8 years ago at the age of 55.

​​​​​​At the highest daily consumption level I was up to 2 IPAs per day.

It occurred to me that drinking in my mountain biking culture was normal. People would talk about what beer they would have and how good it would be during a ride. The rides almost became an excuse to drink even as the rides became shorter and started later and later.

A pattern emerged which I couldn't ignore.

​​​​​​Bike races became beer centric and it seemed the inflating entry fees were offset by the beer being served.

In the years leading up to me quitting drinking altogether I became involved in mountain bike culture as a trail builder and advocate on a volunteer level. I was very involved. I even sought free beer for events and was successful.

It dawned upon even through my thick skull that serving beer and food to people after a hard day of trail work or riding and sending them home driving was not good.

In years before that I used to drink a beer or two and drive home afterwards as well.

Luckily I never had a DUI or cause harm, but I realized that was irresponsible. I stopped drinking after rides at a trailhead when I learned that it was illegal for me. That was around 2007.

Some riders I know post photos of the beers they drink after a ride.

I do not drink anymore for a lot of reasons.
​​​​​​

SpeedyBlueBiker

Even in 2023 Kentucky still has a number of "dry" counties. That doesn't mean it is illegal to drink alcohol. It just can't be sold there.

wolfchild

Large majority of beers which i purchase have alcohol content between 4.2% - 6.5 %. I actually prefer the ones with lower alcohol content, the stronger ones I drink only occasionally..

Koyote

Then why did you make this claim:

You should really get your story straight.

wolfchild

My experience with mountain biking culture has been a little different. Too much weed. I always refused and ended up offending some of the people who smoked that stuff....These were grown up mature adults and not teenagers or some 20 year olds. I eventually stopped participating in their group rides and started riding alone.

wolfchild

Large majority of beer brands are around 5% alcohol content. Give or take 0.5 %/

Koyote

Can you see the difference between the above statement and this statement that you made earlier in the thread:

Those are two very different statements.

Sorcerer

Same here.

Didn't bring that up because of the thread topic. Also these activities used to be taboo at certain events.

​​​​​​The lads and some gals too would often call them safety breaks. I began to skip group rides that were more about a party atmosphere than actually doing epic rides.

Now I'm no saint or anything. I think it's fine for people to do what they want as long as it's responsible and in respect of the context.

​​​​​​I should probably go back and read all the pages in this thread. I skipped a few pages.

c0urt

i have never actually drank, but i do have to admit you all are funny to read

elcruxio

I'm in a family of doctors. It's definitely about health. Regular people don't necessarily realize how nasty that stuff is, but doctors see it on the daily. And most problems alcohol causes are a result of "mild" or "civilized" daily drinking habits. One or two or three glasses of wine or beers a day with dinner etc.

If we take your example of three beers a day and they're 0.33l cans, that alcohol amount equals to 3.5 desiliters of pure alcohol, three and a half bottles of wine or more than one bottle of vodka a week.

If those are 0.5 liter or near pint beers, we're talking six bottles of wine or two bottles of vodka every week.

SurferRosa

*drunk

c0urt

i have never had an alcoholic beverage, but this thread tickles my funny bones?

staehpj1

I have not found drinking to be any more or less prevalent in the folks I have ridden with than the other folks in my life or the general population. On long distance tours the majority did not drink, but a minority did want a few beers or a few stiff drinks in the evening. Mountain biking... No one I rode with drank when they rode. Some may have drunk after, but not a majority, or at least not a majority drank to excess.

At festivals and other big events the drinking more common and heavy, but even there often most of the drinking was at the end of the festival at a big party and even then it wasn't usually a big drunken bash. I suspect that something like RAGBRAI probably involves more drinking, but I don't have first hand experience with that kind of ride.

terrymorse 

Saw this statistic on the PBS News Hour last night:

American adults get drunk 23 times per year on average.

And this tidbit, from the CDC (2010):

Excessive alcohol use in the United States costs every man, woman, and child $807 per year. Costs were due to workplace productivity, health care, law enforcement, vehicle crashes.

79pmooney

Every two weeks, get blasted at Mardi Gras, give up alcohol for Lent. Repeat.

rumrunn6

stopped at a bar at a turnaround one time. had a beer & a bowl of chili. not the greatest combo for bike riding back to my car

rumrunn6

I don't often drink but when I do I prefer the real thing

so, this

not this

PeteHski

Yeah, I think there's a big difference between drinking occasionally - say a couple of glasses of wine when out for a meal once in a while and habitual daily drinking. The latter seems to get normalised by those who do it. I've known people who go through a bottle of wine, or equivalent units of beer pretty much every evening and think nothing of it. They just don't perceive it to be a long-term problem if it isn't affecting their daily life. Some even believe it's good for their health and mental well-being.

blue192

I cannot even remember the last time I had a drink. I know I have not been to a pub since pre coivd days so sometime before 2020...

Sorcerer

Much respect to drinkers who ride and exercise as well. Obviously the exercise is a good thing for body and mind.
There are at two effects of alcoholic beverage consumption that I want to describe which are not good.

One is weight gain. When I stopped drinking I lost 10 pounds in a month. I just kept up my usual volume of riding. The reduction in weight, was a perceptible improvement iny riding. I felt lighter.

The other factor is that alcoholic beverages are carcinogenic. The classification is on par with substances like asbestos and tobacco.

Another anecdotal experience I have is that I had a hunch that I was indulging in alcohol in order to escape confronting personal psychological issues while simultaneously hiding from those issues while being a victim of addiction. Well this might not have been exactly true, I felt a great sense of liberation when I quit drinking, and it gave me a refreshed outlook. I also spent less money and saved some time. Instead of drinking I enjoyed longer rides or got some things done around the house etc.

​Another thing that has been slow to emerge is that I look back upon my drinking life and remembering drunken episodes in a more objective manner than I was able to while I was drinking. I'm still reliving these things. I remember the good times, bad, and in between. Most of it was great partying. Fond memories.

When I was in college I took a couple of semesters studying Old Norse. Being half Finnish I let myself identify with the heroes in the Sagas. Being half Finnish I am familiar with the Finnish association with alcohol abuse. (Note Finn's aren't directly related to the Old Norse tradition, however the physical Scandinavian proximity is relevant.)

The heroics and tragedies in Old Norse often feature drinking contests and contests of physical strength, often simultaneously, as well as feuds and revenge motivations.

As a youth I simply took these stories as models for emulation. Combine that with a fascination for naval traditions, and I was on my way to various inebriated experiences.

​​​​​​At this point looking back it's rather amusing - and I'm lucky it's just that. Other peers have had some harder landings.

To see some of the people you ride with become rotund, slow, late risers, and less energetic is eye opening. They display the effects of daily drinking. They seem content with the outcome.

I don't blame them for their behavior. Alcohol can be therapeutic. It is definitely enjoyable in the moment.

SurferRosa

siap ... But what if it's not so much that cycling has a drinking problem, but that drinking has a cycling problem?