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40 Days Without Booze

jdmoyer.com

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Re: 40 Days Without Booze

#221

Post by ctdonath »

DanBC wrote: post #134
ctdonath wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Was thinking that too. For all the verbiage, there was only a vague " I had only been averaging a couple drinks a day " way down the article as an indication of what the abstained-from baseline was. Averaging two? The "couple" numeric implies room for large values of 2, and "averaging" easily includes two days of nothing followed by 6 in short order. This brings back the crux of those who argue such subjects: some pe…

2 glasses of wine could be 2 glasses, at 250 ml per glass, of a 14.5% ABV wine. This is a considerable, probably dangerous, amount of alcohol. (In the UK this is described at 3.6 units per glass, or about 7 units per day. Safe limits for men are not more than 3 to 4 units per day, not every day.) Or it could be 2 glasses, at 150 ml per glass, of a 10% ABV wine. That would be 1.5 units per glass, or 3 units per day.

That just accentuates his curious vagueness about the baseline he varied from.

A "serving" of alcohol is considered 0.6 fl oz, or 14 grams, of ethanol. People tend to overestimate what constitutes a "serving" of any food/drink, with consequences in line with the withdraw effects he experienced.

Re: 40 Days Without Booze

#222

Post by localhost3000 »

I stopped for a few months several years ago (to study for the GMAT, of all things). Granted, this coincided with me actively practicing puzzles and trick questions (essentially this is what the high end questions are) but I felt noticeably sharper. Like I'd gained 10-20 IQ points. Prior to this I drank quite often over several years (college plus a few post college years). This break (and my awareness of its effects) caused me to really curb my drinking. Now I drink sparsely and mostly to appreciate a nice wine or beer or well made cocktail. I think there's a balance to strike. Enjoyment in life might be worth a marginal IQ point here and there. I dropped out of bschool but learned this lesson getting myself admitted. Thanks bschool! :D

Re: 40 Days Without Booze

#223

Post by s_husso »

enraged_camel wrote: post #158
Osmium wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> working to exhaustion in the gym I don't disagree, but when I've tried this I just find myself doubly exhausted: once (mentally) from the work, and again (physically) from the gym. Still agree that making time for the gym is really important though. But for me, it's not the answer to mental exhaustion but rather just part of a healthy lifestyle generally (personally, proper sleep hygiene is the only solution I've f…

>>I don't disagree, but when I've tried this I just find myself doubly exhausted: once (mentally) from the work, and again (physically) from the gym. When you walk into the gym you need to stop thinking about work and start focusing on your workout. For me, this comes in the form of planning which exercises I'll be doing, how much weight I lifted the previous time for how many reps, and how much I can increment it. A…

I have pretty much the same mentality and I Have to agree that it just works. It doesn't matter what I have on my mind before going to the gym as it is soon replaced by "I have to squat 2.5kg more than the last time?!".

Re: 40 Days Without Booze

#224

Post by cenhyperion »

vacri wrote: post #99

My old boss told me that her brother spends one month a year not drinking, to prove to himself that he doesn't need the booze... but he always did in in February, because it was the shortest month.

That kind of rationalization probably indicates a pretty big problem.

Re: 40 Days Without Booze

#225

Post by cenhyperion »

plg wrote: post #67

I know a lot of people who are similarly dependent upon (if not outright addicted to) exercise. Typically running although I've seen it with cycling and swimming as well. For these people if they don't get their exercise on schedule, they go absolutely nuts. There are many benefits to exercise but for many there are also big big risks, e.g. joint problems, soft tissue injuries, etc.

Eh, it's a better habit to be in than drinking coffee, smoking, or drinking.

Re: 40 Days Without Booze

#226

Post by WalterSear »

Osmium wrote: post #138
nrivadeneira wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find that a hardcore workout works even better than alcohol. Not only do you get the same winding down effect in a short period of time (assuming you're really killing yourself and working to exhaustion in the gym), but you get a lot of additional benefits along with it: better focus, improved health, boosted confidence, and improved body composition. You wake up the next morning feeling a lot better about yourself…

> working to exhaustion in the gym I don't disagree, but when I've tried this I just find myself doubly exhausted: once (mentally) from the work, and again (physically) from the gym. Still agree that making time for the gym is really important though. But for me, it's not the answer to mental exhaustion but rather just part of a healthy lifestyle generally (personally, proper sleep hygiene is the only solution I've f…

I would hazard that you are coming to this from a relatively sedentary point of view. Often overlooked is the huge hump to get over before exercise starts showing it's benefits. It can take months if you do not have the strength it takes to work out effectively, or are performing less than optimal exercise routine, such as one focused on cardio.

Re: 40 Days Without Booze

#227

Post by WalterSear »

Havoc wrote: post #137
jere wrote: post #60

I've slipped into the habit of drinking almost every single night over the past few months and I'm currently trying to cut it out. It's harder than I thought it would be. Like the author said, I've never noticed any physical withdrawal, but I have a strong urge to have a drink every night (sometimes even in the middle of the day). This is one of the most stressful times of my life and it's so hard not to just say "fu…

>a few beers will cause me problems with dehydration Aside from lots of water, add add a electrolyte powder. The kind from the pharmacy intended for dehydration, not the "electrolyte" marketing crap energy drink companies use.

But they have what a body craves.

Re: 40 Days Without Booze

#228

Post by peterpathname »

arg01 wrote: post #199
GuiA wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's true- alcohol has a greater risk for dependency and causes greater physical harm than marijuana, LSD, psilocybin and friends.

Yes but a far lower risk of casual use ending up with you charged with something. It would be hard to argue that people smoke marijuana because it is less likely to have a negative effect on their lives. This doesn't mean we disagree on whether it should be legal but until it is I'm going to keep my use down to infrequent trips to Amsterdam.

that's a problem with the law, not the substance.

Re: 40 Days Without Booze

#229

Post by peterpathname »

cenhyperion wrote: post #224
vacri wrote: post #99

My old boss told me that her brother spends one month a year not drinking, to prove to himself that he doesn't need the booze... but he always did in in February, because it was the shortest month.

That kind of rationalization probably indicates a pretty big problem.

... or a healthy sense of humour. we didn't hear how much he drinks other months.

Re: 40 Days Without Booze

#230

Post by homosaur »

Dewie wrote: post #125
bitops wrote: post #53

> booze enables workaholism, because of the fast unwind time I think this is the key insight from the article. I went through a stressful period where I used alcohol to wind down quickly. But in reality it just made things worse because it numbed me up to the real reasons why I was stressed out. Sometimes though, we don't want to look at the deeper issues (emotional/psychological) for why we are unhappy, and booze pr…

I wonder if maybe meditation could serve as a fast unwind, in the long term.

It DEFINITELY can, but like with exercise, it's all about training and practice. Experienced meditators can usually get to where they're trying to get in a matter of minutes.
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