Drugs and alcohol

[theatrain]

I was wondering.. Just HOW BAD is drugs and alcolhol for your body? Primarily weed and beer/liqour. Not serious drugs. Also how can they effect ur training?

The group of friends I hangout with we are close as brothers.. Thers about 7 of us and we've been best friends since 6th grade and its never changed. During that time about 4 of them started to smoke weed occasioanlly, 3 of us including me never have tried smoking weed.. Or anything for that matter. I also am the only one out of us who's never drank or been drunk.

People will sometimes ask me, dude how do you walk such a straight line and not try smoking or drinking.. There's no temptation for me.. Put a pizza infront of me and tell me not to eat it.. That's a differnet story, but put a bag of weed infront of me and some grey goose and I would look right thru it as if it wasn't there. We'll actually the gret goose bottle looks cool so I'd do something gay like dumb out the alcohol put water and a highliter marker in it and put it under a black light, but other then that I feel absoluteley no temptation.

I know ill never try weed or drugs, to be honest, but man I feel like I'm missing something when were all out and they kick back and start drinking.. Then again I also feel like I'm babysitting and if it weren't for me they'd probably all die. I've tried drinking b4 and I couldn't get more then 4 sips down without squinching my face and saying yuck wtf are u guys drinking where's the soda?

[tooncesthecat]

I admire your ability to stay the course even though your friends choose a different one. I say different rather than "bad" because IMO they are just doing what some guys do for fun. The truth is that booze and weed will not help your health. A modest amount of alcohol can be beneficial according to some studies, but we're talking like one or two drinks. If you're into weight training at all, neither will help with that either.

Bottom line - you should do what's right for you. If you have survived this long without drinking or smoking, why start now? Anyway, you'll be the one who can outrun, outlift, and out think your friends for it!

[Weeble29]

Just like any drug or supplement alcohal will effect all people differently and it really depends on the volume being taken in. I will avoid drinking as much as possible when I am dieting down because it will definatley hinder your results. I retain alot of water when I drink so it's a big no-no for me, plus the useless calories taken in are ridiculous. If you have no desire to drink than keep it that way you are better off and not having a temptation to pick up the bottle or the drugs is a very good quality to have. I bet your friends appreciate you more than you know, or at least I hope they do. Marijuana will definately take a toll on your lungs just like ciggerettes will and don't listen to people that say one is worse than the other...they both f*** you in the long run. I wouldn't look at it as if you were missing anything while you are out and not drinking. Believe me you'll remember the events alot better than your friends who are pouring the alcohal down thier throats. If you feel completely out of place or you genuinely just want to kick back and have a few with you friends I'm sure you can find a drink that tastes good to you. I will say it agin though you are better off not desiring the alcohal. Just my thoughts.

[wildstang]

with the risk of becoming an alcoholic involved over time drinking can really mess up your insideds. destroy your liver, your complexion, etc. seen lots of people go down that path and die at young ages. people my age that drink and still are alive look 20 years older then i do. marijuana.........is illegal but less dangerous then alcohol in my opinion, but that dosent make it right or any better either. it will eventually give you green lung as its called very similar to smoking to many packs of cigarettes. caughing up junk all the time, very hungry (munchies) is about the only good thing looking at how a body builder needs extra food then the ordinary joe does. without a good diet and excercise most people get very obese when taking marijuana. besides you run the risk of having permament marks on your record if caught that many employers will over look you in a heartbeat if your a drug user. lots of employers are utilizing drug screening nowadays also and the good paying jobs you just as well kiss those goodbye if using.

[NickThaQuick]

c'mon dude!

i dont think a few drinks will really destroy what you are doing in the gym. I have a few friends who drink 7-12 beers almost daily and are ripped (although their wallets are a little light now'a'days). as for myself ill limit myself to 6-8 beers when i "go out drinking"...which is maybe once a week.

as for weed i dont think it will hinder your results at all... people i work out with say they hit it as hard as they can in the gym and smoke as a reward. now these guys arnt preparing for a marathon but they are definitely the "big dudes" you see in the gym. they say the amount of food they can eat from the post-smoking munchies allows their muscles to be fed (not junkfood, healthy food only)

i dont get to smoke that much but when i do it has a relaxing effect on me for the next few days and really relieves the stresses of life. the negative side effects ("being high", lathargic attitude) only last until i wake up the next morning refreshed and ready to hit the gym

[tooncesthecat]

Drinking 7-12 beers each day is not good for anyone, period.

[i am jovian]

alcohol does destroy muscle and weed can give you gyno.so it's up to you,skinny arms and door bell tittiesor a quality physque.

[tooncesthecat]

Originally Posted by i am jovian

alcohol does destroy muscle and weed can give you gyno.so it's up to you,skinny arms and door bell tittiesor a quality physque.

Alcohol and drugs can cause gynecomastia by mimicking estrogen and stimulating androgen production. Steroids and other excess androgens are sometimes converted by the body into estrogens and consequently cause male breast problems.

[tooncesthecat]

Originally Posted by NickThaQuick

c'mon dude!

i dont think a few drinks will really destroy what you are doing in the gym. I have a few friends who drink 7-12 beers almost daily and are ripped (although their wallets are a little light now'a'days). as for myself ill limit myself to 6-8 beers when i "go out drinking"...which is maybe once a week.

as for weed i dont think it will hinder your results at all... people i work out with say they hit it as hard as they can in the gym and smoke as a reward. now these guys arnt preparing for a marathon but they are definitely the "big dudes" you see in the gym. they say the amount of food they can eat from the post-smoking munchies allows their muscles to be fed (not junkfood, healthy food only)

i dont get to smoke that much but when i do it has a relaxing effect on me for the next few days and really relieves the stresses of life. the negative side effects ("being high", lathargic attitude) only last until i wake up the next morning refreshed and ready to hit the gym

Alcohol Clin Exp Res 1997 Aug;21(5):792-8


Studies on the time-course of ethanol's acute effects on skeletal muscle protein synthesis: comparison with acute changes in proteolytic activity.

Reilly ME, Mantle D, Richardson PJ, Salisbury J, Jones J, Peters TJ, Preedy VR.

Department of Clinical Biochemistry, King's College School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, United Kingdom.

A study of the effects of ethanol on skeletal muscle protein synthesis and protease activities was carried out in young male Wistar rats (150 g) for up to 24 hr after a single intraperitoneal dose of 75 mmol of ethanol/kg of body weight. At 20 min, the mean blood ethanol levels were 448 mg/dl. This level dropped steadily to zero through the following 24 hr.

So, this study basically looks at the effects of ethanol 24 hours
after drinking it.

Compared with pair-fed controls, significant reductions in total protein, RNA, and DNA contents were seen only after 24 hr in all skeletal muscles studied: changes were more marked in the muscles containing large proportions of type II fibers. In plantaris muscle, the fractional rate of protein synthesis (ks, %/day) did not fall 20 min after dosage but was reduced after 1 hr by 23% (p < 0.001), and by 63% after 24 hr, compared with control saline-injected rats (p < 0.001).

So, let us see.......23% reduction in protein synthesis after
1 hr and 63%!!!! after 24 hours.


Compared with the pair-fed group, the 24-hr ethanol-treated rats still showed a 52% decrease in fractional rates of protein synthesis (p < 0.001). Smaller reductions in ks were seen in soleus muscles in response to ethanol at 24 hr (-39%, p < 0.001). The activities of a variety of lysosomal and nonlysosomal proteases in plantaris muscle of 24-hr treated rats were not significantly affected by ethanol. Only alanyl- and tripeptidyl-aminopeptidase activities were reduced significantly (26%, p < 0.05 and 39%, p < 0.01, respectively). These results suggest that the muscle compositional changes seen over acute periods of ethanol toxicity are predominantly associated with impaired synthesis of protein and that the contribution of cellular proteolytic systems may be minimal.

The effects of ethanol on skeletal muscle protein metabolism are greater in muscles containing a predominance of type II fibers than in those containing mainly type I fibers.

Type II fibers= LARGE muscle fibers for TRAINING.
Type I=Fast twitch for activities like walking.

Ethanol's effects on muscle may be influenced by hormonal changes after 24 hr, because protein synthesis is still compromised and free plasma T3 and corticosterone are altered at this time-point.

Even worse, ethanol causes a HORMONAL shift. It increases
estrogen through the up-regulation of the aromatase enzyme,
lowers testosterone,increases cortisol and to boot reduces
free T3 levels.

[i am jovian]

toonces,you are 1 smart car driving cat!

[tooncesthecat]

Originally Posted by i am jovian

toonces,you are 1 smart car driving cat!

I may be able to drive, but not very well!