jd62 said:
I am in college and drinking is a way of life here. I was wondering how much is too much, i usually drink on avg 3 nights a week and depending on the night can be anywhere between 4 and 15 beers. I know this is too much and have cut back already. Also does it matter if you drink on the days you workout compared to the days you dont workout?
Hate to break the news to you bud, but booze is one of the most effective ways to slash your testosterone levels. Just one night of getting blitzed raises cortisol levels and accelerates the the breakdown of testosterone for up to 24 hours ...
... Valimaki, M.J., Harkonen, M., Eriksson, C.J., & Ylikahri, R.H. (1984). Sex hormones and adrenocortical steroids in men acutely intoxicated with ethanol. Alcohol, 1, 89-93
So if youre getting yourself shitfaced 3 nites a week you've blown about half your week of training.
The damage alcohol inflicts on testosterone is even worse when you hit the gym and lift before hitting the clubs ...
... Heikkonen, E., Ylikahri, R., Roine, R., Valimaki, M., Harkonen, M., & Salaspuro, M. (1996). The combined effect of alcohol and physical exercise on serum testosterone, luteinizing hormone, and cortisol in males. Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research, 20, 711-716
So you have a choice: make drinking your way of life or make training your way of life.
It doesn't mean you can't have fun, it only means you contain the heavy drinking to maybe one night a week (but 14 beers in one night is bullshit).
Alternatively, you could ditch the gang you get plastered with and hang with people who've found other ways to amuse themselves, e.g., whitewater kayaking, skiboarding, music-making, etc.
I can guarantee you one thing: the people you'll meet by doing recreational stuff that doesn't involve continuous drinking will be ten times as interesting and fun as the people whose idea of a productive night out is getting hammered on tasteless beer. And so will you be.