Is this hobby killing us?

[Gonefishing]

Except for a couple of days when I have not eaten and having two beers has made me pretty loopy I can't really remember the last time I got drunk. I think it was just over 20 years ago. I do not brew beer with the idea in mind that I'm going to drink it to get drunk, I do it because I like making the stuff to make the beer and the process of brewing. The clean up, not so much.

 

[Brew_Dude41]

Is this hobby killing me? It has the potential, just check out the broken carboy thread for further confirmation.
Other than that, I would say that it is extending my life. After dealing w/ the stress of work and life, if I couldn't grab a nice tasty brew, I would have blown a vessel and joined all of the carrot eaters by now.

 

[user 30639]

Everything in moderation. I generally limit myself to one pint during the week and 3 on weekends. That's not a hard and fast rule, but I try to stick with it.

 

[mikescooling]

You can take breaks from drinking and still be a brewer. Life will give stressers and as healthy people we compensate.

 

[bstway]

Test, test; I have nothing else to add to this thread. Just seeing if this reply gets deleted like my other one did a couple of days ago.

 

[mongoose33]

Test, test; I have nothing else to add to this thread. Just seeing if this reply gets deleted like my other one did a couple of days ago.

Occasionally I'll be doing a post and I'm about done; something calls to distract me, I click over to another tab, or shut down the computer, and I never actually pushed the "SUBMIT REPLY" button.

 

[bstway]

Occasionally I'll be doing a post and I'm about done; something calls to distract me, I click over to another tab, or shut down the computer, and I never actually pushed the "SUBMIT REPLY" button.

I thought about some form of user error. However, the reply received two likes. Not sure how that could happen if I did a self delete.

 

[johnwpowell]

I'd rather take a break from the stressors

 

[Invertalon]

I only drink 3 days a week (Wed, Sat, Sun) and a random beer here or there on my "off" days. On the days we do drink, usually in the 5-6% range typically and it may be 3-4 beers worth total.

I don't get drunk, just sleepy... So a nap usually follows

But we do a lot of walking with the dogs and at the zoo on weekends and such. Always try to get them 10K steps each day and eat a good diet otherwise. Lots of veggies, beans, chicken, etc... Balances well and weight is maintained for years now, so far so good.

 

[TxBrew]

Everything is killing you. Coral reefs will be extinct by 2050, so keep on keeping on, it's all doom and gloom anyway.

 

[OleBrewing]

My hope its that one day scientists discover home brewers are living longer healthier lives.

actually drinking live yeast and or dead yeast (full of vitamins) is great for the digestive system. Sisters doctor actually approved this.

 

[schematix]

I have limited myself to only drinking on days that end in -ay. So far so good.

 

[triethylborane]

yet still wake up feeling good for my morning 6 miler. No food or drink after 8pm seems to work for me as well.

I run about the same amount every day, and I generally do a lot of PT. I cannot imagine refraining from eating before bed. I tried it out when I was younger and it left me flat and unable to execute movements in PT, but whatever. A few beers before bed isn't a big deal either; a lot better than when I was first in the military, crushing beers then a wake up 5 hours later for PT. Learned quickly that was a bad idea? Nah.

 

[bobeer]

The age old question of a homebrewer... Do what feels right that way you can live with yourself. If you feel the need to cut back maybe cut back for a week or two and see how you feel. In my 35 years on this planet if I've learned one thing it's to listen to my body. Your body will tell you what it needs you just have to listen to it.
Variety is the spice of life. If you're like a normal person there will be times when you drink more than usual and there will be times you will drink less than usual. The key is to just do what feels right for your body which will be different for everyone.

I also find that if you're thinking about drinking all the time it's time to cut back and lay off the sauce for a little while. It should be something you enjoy and look forward to indulging in but if you wake up saying, "I'm not going to drink today." and end up drinking you may want to switch up your routine. And, IMO, that's what it is. Everyone has a relationship with alcohol, even if you don't drink, so you just have to do what feels right, what your body needs, and what works for you.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Everyone has a relationship with alcohol, even if you don't drink, so you just have to do what feels right, what your body needs, and what works for you.

You know, you reminded me of something. I had an interesting experience the other day. I was having some work done at my house recently and as they were finishing up, the contractor was telling me he was 60 years old. I said, "no way, you look much younger and you get around great!" He said, "well I don't smoke and I don't drink."

Then he says, "Do you drink?" I said "Yeah, I actually brew beer." Then he says, "To be honest with you, I'm actually an alcoholic."

How do you respond to that? I was really caught off guard, and a little disappointed in myself for leaving the guy alone with 300 bottles of homebrew for the last 4 hours (they are warm, but still). He told me he'd had some serious issues with alcohol but had been clean for twenty years. We talked about it a bit, he cautioned me to be careful, which bothers me, honestly. But I know he's doing what he feels is important to keep others from falling down the same path, and I appreciate that.

To me, that's what is interesting, that he said, "I'm an alcoholic." Not, "I used to be an alcoholic." To him it's still an issue and something he needs to be aware of.

 

[normonster]

Bunch of alcoholic liars. You all started because your fiendish alcohol craving minds wouldn't let you sleep at night without a guarantee of your next high. Heathens and zealots, the lot of you.

LIES I SAY, LIES!!!

 

[bleme]

To me, that's what is interesting, that he said, "I'm an alcoholic." Not, "I used to be an alcoholic." To him it's still an issue and something he needs to be aware of.

My favorite host on the local talk radio station has been clean for 20 years, but still refers to himself as an addict. He feels like if he used tomorrow, he'd fall right back in the hole that he worked so hard to climb out of.

My FIL is also a sober alcoholic. When I first started brewing, he was pretty concerned but now he sees that it clearly isn't an issue for me and is always telling me that I need to start my own brewery. I know he means well, but I can't get him to understand that turning it into a job would suck the fun right out of it.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Yeah, I know what you're saying. I have close ties to someone who battled this for many many many years, so I have some people close to me who are very concerned. Veeeery concerned. I could say a lot more, I won't just because I don't feel it's right to share that sort of thing over the internet.

Earlier a few runners mentioned "knowing your body" and I think that's absolutely true. As a long-distance runner (well, a couple years back at least), you get VERY in tune with your body. Heck, I could eat an extra piece of garlic bread with my spaghetti one night and feel a little off the next day during my run. I think it's very important to know your body and what you're feeling and craving.

 

[HopGobbler]

That is complete nonsense. I make beer because it is fun and I enjoy being able to create my own recipes and see what comes from it all. Just the same way I enjoy cooking. It can be a rewarding creative process.

If all I wanted to do is get drunk I could just go to the store and buy beer or hard liquor and not spend a few hours making it, then weeks waiting for it to be ready to drink. Do I have a problem with getting buzzed or drunk sometimes, of course not. But that is certainly not the reason I brew.

My thoughts as well, I have plenty of Whiskeys, moonshines and stronger liquors that I could drink if I was out to get sauced or drinking just to get hammered. I do drink to get a buzz, sure, but I brew and make homebrew because I love beer and I love the creative process and seeing the end result and being able to share it with friends and family and say look what I made. I used to buy expensive cases of beer all the time because I wanted to try the newest thing or have heavier beers on hand, but honestly I get more joy out of drinking a couple of session IPA's then I do of drinking my higher gravity beers because I can enjoy them more

 

[NickTheGreat]

I haven't brewed in a long time and still drink plenty of beer!

In tank, since I have a 'hoarder' approach to things in life, when I brew beer, I don't drink it as fast so it last longer!

 

[HopGobbler]

Yeah, I know what you're saying. I have close ties to someone who battled this for many many many years, so I have some people close to me who are very concerned. Veeeery concerned. I could say a lot more, I won't just because I don't feel it's right to share that sort of thing over the internet.

Totally understand, I've lost a number of friends to addiction and I know how these things work. My best friend who's like my little brother has been in and out of jail, rehab and the hospital for the last 2 or 3 years basically drinking himself to death. He has been very eye opening as far as what it is to go to far. I drink most nights of the week, but I do take a night off now and then, but I always get up and come to work on time. My friend can't keep a job and can't be relied on for anything other than he'll be drunk dialing me in the middle of the night. It's tough to watch, but it's humbling and helps to remind me that there are other things in life. I enjoy drinking for sure, but I have started cutting back as a whole because I've seen where the path can lead and I don't want to ever end up there.

 

[TheAleRunner]

I run about the same amount every day, and I generally do a lot of PT. I cannot imagine refraining from eating before bed. I tried it out when I was younger and it left me flat and unable to execute movements in PT, but whatever. A few beers before bed isn't a big deal either; a lot better than when I was first in the military, crushing beers then a wake up 5 hours later for PT. Learned quickly that was a bad idea? Nah.

For me, running on an empty stomach first thing in the morning really helps to burn fat. Of course, I'm not running a marathon without some sort of fuel. But, 5-8 miles early in the morning, I can handle without any sort of nutrition.

I also try to do the intermittent fasting thing, so my first meal isn't until after noon and I try to shut it down by 8:00. It works for me, but everyone is different.

 

[bobeer]

You know, you reminded me of something. I had an interesting experience the other day. I was having some work done at my house recently and as they were finishing up, the contractor was telling me he was 60 years old. I said, "no way, you look much younger and you get around great!" He said, "well I don't smoke and I don't drink."

Then he says, "Do you drink?" I said "Yeah, I actually brew beer." Then he says, "To be honest with you, I'm actually an alcoholic."

How do you respond to that? I was really caught off guard, and a little disappointed in myself for leaving the guy alone with 300 bottles of homebrew for the last 4 hours (they are warm, but still). He told me he'd had some serious issues with alcohol but had been clean for twenty years. We talked about it a bit, he cautioned me to be careful, which bothers me, honestly. But I know he's doing what he feels is important to keep others from falling down the same path, and I appreciate that.

To me, that's what is interesting, that he said, "I'm an alcoholic." Not, "I used to be an alcoholic." To him it's still an issue and something he needs to be aware of.

I hear you. You didn't know the the guy had an issue and he deals with his addiction every day regardless if he's surrounded by beers or not. I understand where you're coming from though.
My brother is a recovering alcoholic and he deals with it every day even though he's been clean for over 5 years at this point. I know it runs in my family so I have to keep myself in check all the time and it's always on my mind when I find myself having a beer or two every day for a long period of time. However, I have to tell myself, we're two different people with different genes from my family's gene pool. He viewed alcohol a lot differently than I do and he dealt with his addiction a lot differently than I would if I ever decided I had a problem.
Like I said, everyone is different, you just have to listen to your true self and do what your gut says. If it's not easy then it's probably right.

 

[triethylborane]

For me, running on an empty stomach first thing in the morning really helps to burn fat. Of course, I'm not running a marathon without some sort of fuel. But, 5-8 miles early in the morning, I can handle without any sort of nutrition.

I also try to do the intermittent fasting thing, so my first meal isn't until after noon and I try to shut it down by 8:00. It works for me, but everyone is different.

Interesting, that is approaching a bb contest prep sort of regimen, particularly if you were carb cycling. Trying to get ripped and diced to the socks?

Absolutely have to go with what works for your body. I should have mentioned that in the previous post.

 

[jkweinza]

Medical guidelines are 2 alcoholic drinks or less per day for men and 1 or less for women. If you haven't been gaining weight and/or feeling off or something then you should be fine. However, if you feel like you need to cut back a little bit just drink one per day or every other day.

 

[TheAleRunner]

Interesting, that is approaching a bb contest prep sort of regimen, particularly if you were carb cycling. Trying to get ripped and diced to the socks?

Absolutely have to go with what works for your body. I should have mentioned that in the previous post.

Nah, it's just what works for me. I love food and I love beer. I probably consume too much of both. So in order to maintain some semblance of balance, I have to do something different. The whole running on an empty stomach helps.

 

[mwilcox]

Bunch of alcoholic liars. You all started because your fiendish alcohol craving minds wouldn't let you sleep at night without a guarantee of your next high. Heathens and zealots, the lot of you.

LIES I SAY, LIES!!!

well, yeah, I'm not denying that part. But this is about alcohol.

 

[GnenieGone]

My uncle drank himself to death at 65. But it was hard liquor. I LOVE great craft beer but HATE getting drunk. There's a hissing sound in my left ear that gets louder the more alcohol I drink. That's my cue to stop...

 

[johnwpowell]

My uncle drank himself to death at 65. But it was hard liquor. I LOVE great craft beer but HATE getting drunk. There's a hissing sound in my left ear that gets louder the more alcohol I drink. That's my cue to stop...

Weird you say that. I get a thumping in my left ear when I've had too many.

 

[schematix]

Are you sure that isn't from your wife yelling in your ear that you've had enough already?

 

[GnenieGone]

Are you sure that isn't from your wife yelling in your ear that you've had enough already?

HA! Or the 2x4 we're getting thumped with..