How has the affects of alcohol changed for you with age?

[billyg121]

i guess it has just taken me a while to admit it...but i think my body really doesnt recover as well after a night of drinking. i never drink hard liquor. just brew..maybe 5 or 6 in a 4 hour period. usually always in conjuction with a gig,which is also compounded with lack of sleep for the next day. anyway, how has your alcohol consumption changed with age? im 39,and used to really put the beer away with little affects the next day. i never get drunk. just a little buzzed maybe, after maybe 6 beers. but with a family and kids...im seriously rethinking my drinking patterns. i may rock out at night on the weekends...but certainly cant loaf on the couch the entire next day to recover.

[SteveGaines]

I"m 49 and my days of getting "WASTED" are long gone. I have nothing against drinking a little at a gig ( That's the only place I ever drink) but going out to bars, getting smashed, and having black out spells have long since gone. Nothing more worse than an obnoxious drunk...Nothing worse than waking up wondering what you did or how you got home..20 years ago..I played three and four nights a week plus held down a day job...Jack and 7 in quart fruit cars is what I drank..And after a while you get IMMUNE to it...If I drank like I did back then...I shudder to think ..Plus,there are too many idiots out these days who are looking to start trouble, so I keep a clear head, watch for the first sign of trouble and try to stay clear of it. And a DUI?..Please..Nobody needs one of those.... And the thought of having a car crash and killing some innocent person...That's all behind me. I try and maintain when I go out.

[paranoid70]

I'm 40 and I find it's a lot easier to get hung over than it is to get drunk.

[charveldan]

Did booze & drugs for 20 years, it cost me my freedom, my sanity and if i kept going would have cost me my life.

Been sober 10 years and loving it, the benefits of sober living are awesome, i've achieved things i never dreamed of before, i think i'll stay sober.:aok

[coralreefer]

This...+!

I'm now 51 ...I was in college for almost 9 years (veterinarian) (many years ago)and have pretty much done it all to excess. Nothing like remembering more hangovers than the nights before. When you consistently can't remember how you got home, it is time to stop. And drinking and driving is the stupidiest thing anybody can do. Pretty much gave up drinking all together about 4 years ago. Body just couldn't take it anymore. A glass of wine or can of beer just makes me want to sleep.

[Vince]

Drinking has always been a social thing for me, but these days making sure I don't feel like shit the day after a night of going out or hanging out means making sure I've eaten a little before, during and sometimes after, and not too much food. I've also discovered that sticking with a nice light vodka cocktail all night is the only way to go. I used to like to have a beer or two during the "prep" stage of getting showered, shaved, dressed etc... followed by a cocktail or two once out, wine with dinner, and after dinner drinks. It was the kiss of death!

[chrisr777]

It drains my wallet a lot faster when we go out than it used to.

[cram]

it makes the people around me even more beautifuler because they're older and uglier than previous years.

[billyg121]

yep..it does suck to have a god bit of your gig money go to a bar tab! im not really talking about getting smashed though. for sure that would lay me out the next day. even just with a six beer limit i can feel the next day affects.

[Britishampfan]

I drank a lot over the years and went from hardly ever having hang overs to at the end getting sick from just a few beers. I`m talking getting a rash and itchy and sick to my stomach. My body said no more.

My system would revolt and could not handle it so I stopped drinking. Last time I tied one on around 4+ years ago I was sick for a week and that was the end of the party days. Don`t miss drinking don`t even think about it just something I don`t do anymore.

[brentrocks]

i can drink just as much now and get hammered than i did when i was 18

[Ampegasaur]

Yea, hangovers MUCH worse than younger days.

[cubistguitar]

I have lost the taste, craving or interest. I am only 40 and I haven't had a drink in years.

[tjmicsak]

Your metabolism is slower, you are likely not as well hydrated, and you likely don't eat the same greasy diet you used to that would coat your stomache and let you drink more. The fact is you just don't have the reserves in your entire physical system that you had when you were younger that would allow for a routine poisoning every now and then without feeling a great degree of impact.

[CharAznable]

it takes a lot less to get a massive, painful hangover.

[Fendegibs]

I've found that as I've gotten older I have a hard time drinking hoppy beers (and I love IPAs). Even if I just have 2 or 3, I find that I wake up in the middle of the night with my pulse and mind both racing and I can't fall back asleep. This doesn't happen with anything other than high hop beers.

[CharAznable]

I've found that as I've gotten older I have a hard time drinking hoppy beers (and I love IPAs). Even if I just have 2 or 3, I find that I wake up in the middle of the night with my pulse and mind both racing and I can't fall back asleep. This doesn't happen with anything other than high hop beers.

That's.. bizarre

[greggorypeccary]

I learned to pace myself better. :beer

:drink

That said, I was never much of a heavy (ie. binge) drinker so these days I can really enjoy a couple nice craft brews in a sitting. Quality over quantity.

[straightblues]

I am mid 40's with kids. Kids get up and want to go early no matter how you feel. Being completely hung with kids yelling in the morning is hell. After a few times doing it, you get over it fast.

[muffinMan74]

I'm in my mid 30's with four boys, I have a couple/few beers per night 1-2 nights/week, it really comes down to beer choice + quantity. I.e., cheaper mass-produced beers, even in that small quantity, for me, makes me feel rotten the next morning, but quality brews (Guinness, local micros like Capital, New Glarus, Ale Asylum) just give me a tasty buzz with no ill effects the next morning

[Gatorplayer]

Mid 40's...being hung over is no longer fun....still love to have a drink but being wasted in public is best left to your college days!

[rob2001]

I'm 47 and i'm definitely not as "in shape" as I used to be when I was canning it up every day. With some conditioning I think I could be an every day beer drinker again but I doubt my liver can take it. I used to do a case in a 12 hr shift. I'm down to about 1/2 that and I don't have a fractured skull the next day. And What used to be daily, then weekly, is now a monthly thing.

[Midnight Lady]

I rarely have more than two drinks, ok maybe three. Only exception to that is an evening spent with my best girlfriend. Then there is no counting allowed.

[EricPeterson]

I have gained about 30 pounds since I graduated high school 9 years ago, I attribute it to beer, but I am only 190ish and 6'2'' so I am not too worried. yet.

[Flyin' Brian]

Rapidly approaching 65 here. I might have 1 beer or 1 drink at a gig.
A case of beer will last me over a month if I'm the only one drinking it. Just not my thing any more. I don't want to drive influenced in any way and I'm old enough to know that it does affect your reflexes, and all other senses even if you've convinced yourself that it doesn't.

[EricPeterson]

I rarely have more than two drinks, ok maybe three. Only exception to that is an evening spent with my best girlfriend. Then there is no counting allowed.

Rapidly approaching 65 here. I might have 1 beer or 1 drink at a gig.
A case of beer will last me over a month if I'm the only one drinking it. Just not my thing any more. I don't want to drive influenced in any way and I'm old enough to know that it does affect your reflexes, and all other senses even if you've convinced yourself that it doesn't.

You two are always welcome at my place for a drink or ten. ;)

[Marble]

rapidly approaching 21 here. A pint or more of liquor is a sure way for a shitty shitty hangover. 4 or 5 beers and a few mixed drinks is usually good. I need to learn to pace myself and start drinking water on the last drink.

Sometimes an annoying hangover can result from relatively few drinks. All I know is a bad hangover plus lack of sleep is one of the worst feelings ever. I'll never travel hungover again either.

[EricPeterson]

rapidly approaching 21 here.


:noevil







;)

[CharAznable]

rapidly approaching 21 here. A pint or more of liquor is a sure way for a shitty shitty hangover. 4 or 5 beers and a few mixed drinks is usually good. I need to learn to pace myself and start drinking water on the last drink.

Sometimes an annoying hangover can result from relatively few drinks. All I know is a bad hangover plus lack of sleep is one of the worst feelings ever. I'll never travel hungover again either.

When I was 21 I could put down 4-5 beers and a few scotches or whatever and I'd be fine the next morning. Of course, as a married professional, I'm not anymore in any sort of environment where I want or am able to drink 5 beers and then scotch. Those days are long gone.

At 33, 2 beers can give me a hangover, if they're the wrong kind. It's amazing how your body starts to deteriorate after 30. You really feel it.

[BMF Effects]

I'm 40 and I find it's a lot easier to get hung over than it is to get drunk.


it takes a lot less to get a massive, painful hangover.

+1, I don't rebound like I used to and if I'm going to waste a day of productivity I don't want it to be because my head is pounding and my stomach is turning. I'd much rather have it be doing something like cruising along the PCH with the windows down and the radio up.

And a DUI?..Please..Nobody needs one of those.

Let alone two like someone close to me has. Thousands of dollars spent just to keep your license so you can make it back and forth to work for the first offense, impound fees and house arrest complete with ankle bracelet. Thousands more for the same thing on the second offense plus additonal fines and/or community service, mandatory jail time, the portable breathalyzer that has to be rented from the state, installed/uninstalled in your vehicle (more money), the 18 month DUI class and increased insurance rates both times...just not worth it. Plus I watched the same person literally destroy their life with alcohol and nearly take me down with them so I may be a bit prejudiced when it comes to this topic.

[tonejunky]

I'm 25 and had a rough headache the other morning after drinking 3 beers the night before! Probably mostly because the last one was a cheap 16oz. The good thing is that since I had so few.. I felt fine for practice that afternoon. I'm definately starting to feel less invincible, however.

The other thing is that drinking rarely improves music, conversation, or sex. So... if you can enjoy those things in your life without involving tons of drinking, I don't really see the point of getting drunk every weekend.

[Sean French]

I can drink very heavy like I did when I was 21 now in my mid 40's.
Never really get hangovers as I have the cure for that. After a night of drinking I always take two asprin and eat something filling.
I'm always good when I wake up.
Not good for the gut but, very good for the head.

[jimshine]

At 32 something flipped like a switch in me. I went from being able to drink a case (a real 24 can case, not a 12 pack) in an evening and be fine the next day to hangovers. I cut back and even 12-15 would give me hangovers that lasted a whole day. I can waste days hungover, so I quit drinking all together.

[Dillow4092]

I honestly haven't had a hangover in 13 years, which was the last time I got shit faced drunk. This was also my bachelor party. I used to party a bit, mostly a few shots chased by a beer or two.

Fast forward thirteen years and I fall asleep on the couch after two beers. I'm almost forced into not drinking due to my wife's addictions. I don't bring it in the house for that reason.

I took my kids out for a steak dinner the other night, and I had one Guiness with it. They were amazed that people could just drink one beer, seeing how the wife puts away large amount of vodka.

I'll be 47 in October, no one I meet believes me, they all say I look in my mid 30's So I guess alcohol, or lack of it has changed me for the better.

Now if I can only get Sara Evans to run away with me, life would be complete!

[Dr. Tweedbucket]

Weird, my experience was just the opposite of many folks in this thread. First of all, if I drank too much, instead of getting sick, my body would just say .... yeah :red whatever :rolleyes: and I would get really tired. Hang overs the next day pretty much didn't happen anymore either ( and I used to get some bad hangovers if just drinking a little bit when I was younger). The offset was, I was chasing that warm glowing buzz of my earlier years and it was too elusive. Instead, I would drink 3 or 4 drinks and then all of the sudden it's like someone pulled the plug and I had to get to bed to crash just ASAP! I've never felt such a sudden shutdown like that before! It's like WARNING WARNING !! YOU ARE SHUTTING DOWN. PLEASE SAVE ALL YOUR WORK AND PUT OUT ANY FIRES!!!! WARNING!! YOU ARE SHUTTING DOWN IN 30 seconds!!! WARNING :messedup I mean, I didn't even take time to get undressed or brush my teeth, it was that sudden! Wow, what a stupid life I lived for a long time.

Anyway, I thought I did well all these years in sticking to my ground rules of only drinking on Fri and Sat nights, but even that was too much for me. It takes a while and some determination, but wow! You can be so much more productive and really enjoy the weekend much more without drinking anything at all!

[Average Joe]

I'm 37 and I hardly ever touch the stuff. Compared to when I was younger I can take far less than I could at 20 - otoh I also have the good sense these days to drink within my comfort zone. If I get drunk on a saturday, I'm still hung over on monday, which didn't use to be th case. Worse is that whereas hang over USED to be all physical for me, in the last few years they've also messed with my emotions in a way I find unpleasant - to say that I feel down would be a huge understatement

[GuitarsFromMars]

After 30-40 years of binge drinking and smoking, I had a stroke that came about 1/16" from killing me. It was either stop or die.

I stopped.

[HerrRentz]

I can't drink like I used to at all. It's not good for my heart either. I still have one or two a week, and on occasion I might even have three or four but that's about as much as my head can take the next day.

I must have been about 42 or 43 when I figured out that getting older means hangovers take longer to go away. Now at nearly 50 I really don't want to put up with feeling like a truck ran over me all day long and half of the next day. Yes, a day and a half hangover. It's not like a hangover the second day, it's just a feeling of fatigue and not quite all there.

[semi-hollowbody]

in my mid 20's I was in shape, working out 7 days a week, and my resistance was VERY high...I could pound whiskey and cokes from 9 until 2 at the bar, do shots, and have a minimal hangover...i was at the bar wednesday night through saturday night...usually working out killed the little hangovers...

when I turned 35, I swear it was over night...hangovers became severe, i couldnt function, they lasted 2 days...I wasnt drinking antwhere near as much as before, i was married and didnt spend that much time in a bar...and now when I drink, its very moderate and I pound gatorade and acitominaphin before bed to try and kill the potential hangover...if I have 4 drinks a month, its alot for me now :(

[bcgraphicsguy]

ditto to everything said...

[Hallogallo]

I'm 40 and I find it's a lot easier to get hung over than it is to get drunk.


That about sums it up for me.

[KeithC]

Drinking loads of Beck's dark was normal for me for years. The Sunday after a gig about 7 years ago I woke up and said I need to stop and I did.
Nothing bad happened. Never had a DUI but should have many times.
Life is so much better without the worry of a hangover and knowing I don't ever have to worry about driving after a gig etc.

Looking back, besides being ashamed i did drive impaired many times I feel very lucky nothing ever happened.

Also, even though I know when I'm driving home at 3:00am after a gig that there is no worries about DUI or the cops it must be engrained in me because I still get anxious if a cop is behind me and have to remind myself I haven't had a drop to drink!

[buddaman71]

it takes a lot less to get a massive, painful hangover.

Yep. Not fun at all anymore, and, yes, it happens almost overnight :beer:messedup

[Go Cat Go!!]

I just turned 48. i quit drinking for a year last year because of hepatitis a. It's not the first time I quit drinking all together to to health problems. The thing I realized is that I don't miss being drunk. It's the socializing and camaraderie that I miss. These days I can have multiple beers and shots. However I listen to my body. Once I feel drunk I switch over to seltzer with a splash of cranberry and I'm all good. I can stay out to till the wee hours without a hangover. And yes I agree, hangovers at this age are worse than they were 20 years ago. It takes me all day to recover.

The other thing I realized is that different liquors affect me differently. Vodka makes me irrationally angry. I avoid it. Rum tends to mellow me out. Tequila is my favorite and it just makes me super hyper. Blue Moon is the same as tequila. I don't drink it unless I know I'm out for the night.

[GSHARP]

I'm 40 and I find it's a lot easier to get hung over than it is to get drunk.


This. I will turn 42 in october.

[zep41]

If I get hammered on a Saturday night, I dont stop feeling it until Tuesday at lunchtime.

In my early 20s, I used to be able to have a handful of shots and a 12 pack the night before an early morning wrestling practice back in college. It was like nothing could stop me. Didn't mind being hungover one bit and I would recover like it was nothing and do it all over again.

Now that I am 29, my body is telling me things. I still drink and party, but I really pay the consequences! The good thing is, I can still wake up early and do things after a hard night of drinking -- I am not bedridden. But that doesn't mean I'm not feeling it.

[claudel]

Personally, I have a low interest in drinking.

After a couple or three, max, I'm done for the night/month.

I've pretty much always been that way with it.

As I get older and more cranky though, I really am becoming more sick and tired of being around inebriates.

I have no more patience for interminably rambling repetitive monologues, bad smells, and for apologizing for the behavior of those who I happen to be with.

Seeing the same from some of my "friends" over and over on a daily basis is beginning to harsh a bit of the joy of getting old for me.

[KennyWTelejazz]

I don't drink anymore ...not even a sip
it has been 28 years.....
i plan to keep my last drink (from way back then) my last drink .
that's the plan........ one day at a time

Kenny

[fast ricky love]

Your metabolism is slower, you are likely not as well hydrated, and you likely don't eat the same greasy diet you used to that would coat your stomache and let you drink more. The fact is you just don't have the reserves in your entire physical system that you had when you were younger that would allow for a routine poisoning every now and then without feeling a great degree of impact.

Yup, that is exactly right. Damn it.

[billyg121]

You guys are awesome! Thanks for your responses. So, I wonder why hangovers are worse with cheap beer? I love IPA, so maybe I should just switch to that all the time.

[germs]

i'm 29. in the last 5 years my body is really not happy with me getting smashed. 3-4 beers at practice one night will have me hung over the next morning. sucks.

[CowTipton]

I rarely drink anymore, and even then only in moderation.
Got the "getting drunk" thing out of my system in my early 20's.

[Madison]

I started noticing a big change around age 50. You no longer get the same high...it's kind of 'diluted'...definitely not a good feeling buzz anymore. For years I've loved to get the grill going on weekends, have some drink, and enjoy the high while grilling. Now it isn't the same. I'll still drink an ale or two for flavor, maybe a glass of red wine. Tequila, whiskey, vodka...those days are over.

[Cornbread]

i'm 47 and two months ago i went from having (at least) one drink each night, to only drinking once a week and only a couple then- i feel so much better it's not even funny

when i was drinking all the time, my sleep was terrible and started each day with some degree of a hangover. do not miss any of it.

[Lublin]

Still love getting hammered!

[in_sherman]

i used to get drunk
now i get more drunk

[billyg121]

Hey Madison...me too! Love to get the charcoal going and sip on a good brew. My wife complains when I grill the wait for dinner is much longer...its just that I'm stretching out my relax time by the grill. Also...I think I've experienced the dulled buzz sensation also. Just not the same.

[billyg121]

Also...I guess I left out the details that I'm packing about 20 more pounds than I should..and don't get near 8 houurs of sleep a night. Those things prob don't help either.

[fast ricky love]

I should add that it is KEY for me to have a very thorough work out the day after a 'session' to de-tox. That helps a lot.

[Hand of Doom]

I don't get drunk, but enjoy a few micro brews. Even just one late at night makes me look like crap in the mirror in the morning, well worse than normal. dehydration?

[chrisr777]

I rarely have more than two drinks, ok maybe three. Only exception to that is an evening spent with my best girlfriend. Then there is no counting allowed.

I'm your best girlfriend?

Or is it Heidi?

[PhishinPole]

By 33 I've lost the desire to go out to the bars after 7pm and get wasted. I've gone the way of quality over quantity. We might hit happy hour on a Friday and have 2-3 drinks, but that's about it. Sometimes I'll have a beer with dinner, but it's usually just one.

[Peteyvee]

Like my doctor once said about my drinking and smoking: "You're not 25 anymore. Quit while you're ahead." I didn't quit drinking beer, but I've sure slowed down...and like the song says "...hangovers hurt more than they used too..." That's especially true at 54.

[The Funk]

I'm 47 and i'm definitely not as "in shape" as I used to be when I was canning it up every day. With some conditioning I think I could be an every day beer drinker again but I doubt my liver can take it. I used to do a case in a 12 hr shift. I'm down to about 1/2 that and I don't have a fractured skull the next day. And What used to be daily, then weekly, is now a monthly thing.


A case in a night? Damn. Thats like 2 gallons of beer.....

[rob2001]

A case in a night? Damn. Thats like 2 gallons of beer.....


2 per hour in a 12 hr period.....like noon to midnight on a Saturday. But I don't go on those long runs anymore.

Now a "night of drinking" is more like 4-6 hrs and 6-8 beers. And I only do that maybe once a month.

[Jarrett]

I used to drink really heavily. Whole family did growing up, was just normal. At some point the hangovers got worse than the effects of drinking the beer and I quit about two years ago. Last Saturday night I bought a six pack for old times sakes and made it through two before I started feeling bad. Was slightly hung over the next day. It's over Johnny :)

[wilblee]

One small drink in the evening, OK (as long as it's not every evening). Two drinks and sleep gets messed with (as in early to bed and WAY too stinking early to rise). More than two and it's pass out in the chair, get awakened by the wife, shamble off to bed, wake up about three hours later with weapons grade acid indigestion, a hideous headache and zero chance of sleeping again that night. So, "one and done" is my new battle cry. Which, coincidentally, has allowed me to really upgrade the grade of bourbon I drink.

[geoangus]

I turn 50 in October and find that I struggle to rebound as quickly. My biggest problem is I pretty much live on 5-6 hours of sleep during the work week, and the body wakes up 4:00am-ish even on the weekends. After a night of big drinking, I'm not so much hungover, as just really tired. I don't sleep well if I drank too much (de-hydration?).

But I still enjoy a glass of wine, beer or a cocktail at the end of the day. I must say, I can't pound beer like I used to - I find I just get too full to drink any more.

[geoangus]

So, "one and done" is my new battle cry. Which, coincidentally, has allowed me to really upgrade the grade of bourbon I drink.


to bastardize the Warsteiner beer creed - "Life's too short to drink cheap bourbon"