Having been a frequent imbiber for many years, I have found myself just in the last 6 months having an almost complete intolerance for alcohol. While my life won’t actually come to an end as a result (though sadness now dominates my waking hours), I seek the advice of “ST, M.D.” and the hive mind of experience in ways both physical and alcoholic.
Yes, I did some web MD type searching, and nothing addresses the “why all of a sudden?” nature. I have not materially changed my life, racing or training, or weight. I’ve been roughly same weight, perfect health (knock wood), and racing IM’s for 5 years. I trained harder this year, but you would expect that when tapering or post-IM relaxing, anything related to intensity/volume would otherwise go back to normal, right? Not.
It won’t kill me if I don’t get to drink much, if any, but I sure would hate to waste all those bottles of awesome reds in the cellar, and I will definitely miss my Firestone Walker Double Jack. But I can’t tolerate the headaches (even after just 1), or the horrible sleep quality.
I am in the same boat, although I wouldn’t say I was ever a “frequent” imbiber. I am 30 and have being doing IMs for 5 years and I definitely think my tolerance has gone down. I used to be able to have one drink every now and then without issue, but now even one drink makes me feel crappy, anxious, and messes with my sleep. Same goes for caffeine - way more sensitive to it now than at age 25. I think a lot of it is just psychological - I think you become more conscious of these things as you get older and more mature. It was probably messing with you back in the day, too, but you just weren’t as attuned to it. Just my two cents.
Who knows why. Sometimes the human body does things that are inexplicable. Not exactly the same but my wife can’t eat anything dairy recently (cheese, ice cream…etc). Growing up she had no issues with regular milk and cheese products. Just the last few months or so she’s developed an intolerance and it is getting worse it seems. No idea why.
I’ve also heard of people who in their mid-thirties developed allergy issues despite no history of ever having them previously (read a little bit on it from a medical article in Time).
Same boat - of course, I am a 115 pound woman - but yes. I can only drink before a scheduled rest day, I can only tolerate 1 drink max, and even that will screw with my sleep (fall asleep immediately and then up at 2 am for the rest of the night) and mood (anxiety). I feel like it would be unsafe for me to drive even after only one drink. I don’t know why it seems to hit me so hard now. I have never been able to drink very much, but now I feel like having my wine in a shot glass.
Some people as they move into middle age lose the ability to drink red wine.
I have lost the ability to have a glass of red wine at lunch, for example.
Ruined the afternoon. If you are after earning a living, that has consequences.
Try white wine (seems to affect mostly middle aged men).
The good news is that as you move on from middle age into decrepit, you regain the ability to drink red wine.
And if they are really good reds, they will keep. Otherwise pm me and I will give you my address.
It would be a shame to let them go to ruin. It’s the least I could do.
I have experienced something similar since I started training seriously. In the past year I have dropped 20+ pounds, from 180ish to 155lbs. I am a frequenter of our local craft breweries, and I have a decent beer cellar at home.
I found that if I have more than one beer in an evening, I have a moderate hangover the next morning (or in the middle of the night). I am guessing it has something to do with my body struggling to stay hydrated, along with less mass to store fluids?
I dont know. Anyways I am putting my savings that I am getting from drinking less beer into my bike. Works out ok for me I guess.
I don’t have an intolerance, but hangover/headache seem to come on much easier than in the past.
If I can keep the headache away, I can sleep and generally wake up fine and able to train. I take 400mg ibuprofen any time I have more than a couple of wobblypops, seems to do the trick for me, allowing me to sleep through the night.
There’s a gene that is theorized to have a strong influence on alcohol sensitivity. CYP… something. You may have had this gene all your life and now, for reasons unknown, it’s finally being expressed (or maybe suppressed, I don’t know). Do some googling on “alcohol/alcoholism/etc gene/genetics/etc” perhaps you’ll find more. The only reason I know anything at all about the subject is I have a history of alcoholism on one side of the family and I went so far as to have my own dna sequenced.
my wife has the same problem… developed allergies to most wines, can’t sleep after drinking. Expensive single malts seem to be OK for some reason
getting old, it’s not for sissies…
as phog says - failing all else, let us know when and where, the bibulous denizens of ST will gather for a post-season party and dispose of those fine old reds for you… we are here for you, man… ha.
Like anything else, you need to train your drinking!
I took 3-4 months off drinking to train hard… then even 2 beers was making me nauseous. This happened 2-3 times to me and I got worried.
Slowly introduced moderate drinking back in my schedule. Have 1 beer 1-3 nights a week, and 2 beers 0-2 nights a week… no longer phases me, feel perfect to run the next morning.
(I realize my definition of moderate is very low, but it is what it is). I find 1 or 2 drinks does not hurt me much. My days of 5+ drinks are done, but a little wine or beer or whiskey in the evening is perfect…
I have a single tear, running slowly down my cheek, and the selfless willingness of everyone to help rid me of an excessive quantity of bottles of red wine. Words just cannot describe. Thank you, ST!
Seriously though, I’m mostly concerned about how this “just came about” suddenly. I used to be a near-daily light drinker; one bourbon/coke with my popcorn (Whirlipop only, thank you very much), a beer or two, or split a bottle of wine with the wife. No worries, no issues. Consistent, never had a problem. Years and years. Now, a single beer of moderate ABV will trigger a headache within an hour, and poor sleep that night. Absolutely required advil to get rid of, multiple times during the night. Not fun. Definitely bad enough to be thinking about a permanent abstention. After the reds are all gone, of course. Those are good enough to accept the consequences.
Do you mean that your typical amount now causes you to get more intoxicated or that the next day you feel bad. For me I’ve noticed that i don’t feel anymore buzzed on my typical amount but now the next day I don’t feel my usual perky self. It’s not a hangover (I don’t drink that much) but I just don’t have my “A” game the next day. I think age might have something to do with it. I’m 57.
No, I mean any amount, any form, makes me feel bad, have headaches, and not sleep. Even a single lager or glass or wine. I’m not getting across how apparently sudden and unusual this seems to me - something changed in a big way. I used to be able to effortlessly consume “social” amounts with aplomb and no after effects. Now, I go a month without a single drink, I have a single beer, and I regret it.
I’m really searching for any sort of similar story. The web searching I’ve done, and I’ve done a bit, isn’t finding anything.
I think I developed an allergy or something. Every time I drink I wake up in the middle of the night with horrible sinus issues and can’t breathe. I end up sleeping in my lounge chair to be propped up a little
On the other hand… I can drink a ton and don’t get a hangover. Body seems to process it faster. I dunno, weirdness
fall asleep immediately and then up at 2 am for the rest of the night)
This… Exactly. Every time I have a few drinks, regardless of when I fall asleep, I am up at 2:00 (+/- no more than one minute).
While alcohol gets you asleep fast, it messes up sleep cycles and will get you up fast or leave you with a non beneficial night of sleep.
Same boat for me - my body will often react weirdly to alcohol (wine more than beer) and I’ll have headache, skipped heartbeats, dizziness… But not every time I consume alcohol. I’m not very heavy (153lbs, 5’8") so I attribute it to my current weight (as opposed to what I was before triathlon training).
I keep it at most at 1-2 portions (glass of wine, bottle of beer) per week. I still love the taste, just not the effects
