Fifty Plus (50+) - Addiction...of sorts?

This is gonna sound kinda funny but let me explain.
I had noticed with drinking alcohol that a couple days later I get irritable. I don't crave alcohol(to the extent of WANTING to drink) and never have. I can drink one or two beers and feel no compulsion to drink any further. I have almost given up drinking because of this. I just can't be irritable in my job. It DOES NOT mix well with the public contact I have in my job.
Now that I have started back into riding I'm noticing the same thing. I get irritable the day after or two days after I ride.
Endorphins?

Any ideas? I certainly don't want to give up the benefits of riding but I don't want to be irritable either.
Now you might say "you have a choice" of being irritable or not. Well that is easy TO SAY.

Ride every day.

How did I know that was coming :)

I know I didn't mean to sound like a smartarse, but a cycling addicition is a good thing. I just started cycling this month after not really riding since I was a teenager. Man, I am addicted to it. My schedule is changing so that I am starting to be able to incorporate light 10 to 15 mile rides in the morning M-F and work on the endurance thing (30 and up) on the weekends. At least; thats my plan anyways. :) I feel great since I've been riding. Blood pressure is going down.

Maybe a couple of beers after riding would balance things out. ;)

The hits just keep on coming!
I enjoy the humor, so don't hold back.

I assume since you are in this forum you are over 50. I have some irritability and mild depression symptoms. Irritability is actually a symptom of depression sometimes. I've never equated it with alcohol or any form of exercise. I do know my testosterone is on the low side of normal, and I believe that is the cause of my symptoms. I usually feel fine in the morning and then later in the day I get the symptoms. Not coincidentally, testosterone levels are highest in the morning and drop throughout the day. You may want to have your levels checked the next time you have a physical.

Yeah, I've been wondering if that could be a problem too. Thanks.

I've been addicted to cycling for over 40 years now, and with a few exceptions it's been a very good thing.

Opposite from the OP's situation, however, I get irritable when I haven't been able to ride for a few days. Working on bikes is good therapy, as is reading about cycling, or watching cycling DVD's, but long term (more than 3 days) only a ride will bring me back to normal.

Rick / OCRR

I'm not sure you should be blaming your irritability on drinking or riding. Are you sure there aren't other causes. Have you systematically ruled out all other possible causes?

It comes with age, the desire to yell "get off the grass" is normal too. :50:

I'm not sure you should be blaming your irritability on drinking or riding. Are you sure there aren't other causes. Have you systematically ruled out all other possible causes?

All other causes? That could be quite a long list.......... ;)

How did I know that was coming :)

OK, then drink every day.

;)

It comes with age, the desire to yell "get off the grass" is normal too. :50:

Or...............shut your damn dog up!!? My neighbors(bless their hearts :) ) think they live in the country. We live in what would be called a moderately upscale suburban subdivision. Little kid runs in the yard buck naked, dog barks incessantly. We were trying to enjoy a nice, quiet holiday weekend around our pool and their dog yapped almost non-stop. Could that be an irritation :). Really I could care less about the kid nekkid, but my God have some decency :)
In the past they have drained their pool and caused a flood in my back yard. They drag leaves into the ditch by their house and when it rains all that runs into my yard. That is a minor annoyance but adding it all up makes for less than desirable neighbors. If it weren't for the dog(a German Shepherd that has the loudest bark imaginable and the kids yelling at the dog to stop(instead of showing it some attention), it would be a non-question about them.
They are the type to just ignore any nice suggestions too, so confronting them isn't a real possibility. The dog is quiet at night, so I can't call the authorities.
But this isn't the root of the problem, it is something else.

I would suggest a complete physical - seriously. Hormonal imbalances can do strange things, and, besides, that is what Dr. Phil has his guests do. Also, there is always the possibility of sleep apnea - something that you may not have thought of.

Practice makes perfect so just ride as often as you can- Then you can p*ss off many more people than you do already.:innocent:

It's called aging- Or the 50+ factor.

You are normal.......

Will get the check up. I am (over) due any way.

Will get the check up. I am (over) due any way.

Watchout, your doctor will want you take some drugs for every problem he thinks you have.

Watchout, your doctor will want you take some drugs for every problem he thinks you have.

And give you every test he thinks your insurance will pay for.

And give you every test he thinks your insurance will pay for.

I feel a colonoscopy coming soon.

All other causes? That could be quite a long list.......... ;)

Yes, it could be.... I know that at one point in my riding life, I got cranky after riding. It took a long time to figure out that I was cranky because I felt guilty leaving my wife at home alone with two toddlers after we both had already finished long days. Only when we found a way to get her some respite time did my cranky affect disappear.

It does sound like you need something, alcohol, exercise to something to help take "an edge" off of something. Dr's are good and may be helpful. But try this, ask yourself, what is really making you edgy or feeling pissy. Spend some time in meditation while riding or having a drink. What is feeling better getting your mind off of. If you can find the source, you will have more money in your pocket to pick up some gin or gears or something helpful.

Negative times a negative equals a positive. Heck, drink a couple of brewskis before you ride.:D

Ride every day.


Drink every day.

I feel a colonoscopy coming soon.

Funny you should put the word "feel" in there.

You said "Public" I deal with the public on a Daily basis. The beer & the biking will lower the pressure & calm the mood, 2 days of "public" will raise the pressure. There's nothing wrong with you except, "the public"
Sorry if I offended anyone. Ride on.

All kidding aside, I have similar issues. For me I can correlate drinking - even one beer with being less tolerant of life around m the day after. Although cycling by itself doesn't make me grumpy, combine cycling with lowered caloric intake and I get rather short with people. Also if I ma no sleeping well, whjich also sometimes happens with too much exercise makes me snippy.

I've also noticed my irritability the day or two after moderate drinking, especially after a relatively long period of not drinking. I think it is just my brain reacting to the disruption of coherence that alcohol causes.
On the other hand, when I don't ride after a month or so of regular exercise, I get somewhat down, not cranky. We all have slightly different brain chemistry.

Cranky Frank: Now THIS is the guy I'm listening to :)

Well it's not the "getting away from the family guilt trip", as I bought bikes for my two daughters and they are riding with me :). As for the wife, she has ruined more than one bike from non-use(ouch).

Believe it or not I have not eaten for 20 hours now as part of a fast for a mission trip and I actually feel BETTER. Go figure. Usually going without food makes me so irritable it isn't funny. Guess it's the whole experience of doing the fast and what it represents. Maybe the "meditation", in this case prayer, has helped. Didn't ride because I knew that would be a big mistake but I did play 2 softball games last night.

Getting to the age when I should be retired and I find that a lot of things become irritable. Month ago had 2 weeks off work. Two weeks of gardening- resting and cycling. Rest was not necessary as the gardening was done with a will and the cycling was done at a pace to suit me.

I now need a holiday again as I get home and I am tired and all I want is rest.

Never been a great beer drinker- but I do enjoy a "Spitfire" or two occasionally. Now a good bottle of Bordeaux- and it has to be a good bottle- and the cork won't go back in the bottle.

I just replied to the recent Diabetic thread.

With me - low sugar, I'm 'leave me alone, I don't want to listen' passive sulk

High sugar - 'you're annoying, you're wrong, and here are the 15 reasons why'

After a lot of years, I hope I can detect and treat either case in time. Particularly if I'm running a course or a seminar!

Might sugar levels be in any way involved?

Watchout, your doctor will want you take some drugs ...

then you can go REALLLY FAST!

train safe-

I'm definitely grumpy today, as my planned ride did not happen due to family obligations. Tomorrow is not looking good either, unless I set out at dawn.

Regarding cycling endorphins and mood: my wife can tell when I need my "fix". She has told me on numerous occasions my mood is much better after a ride. Gotta be withdrawal. Need to ride every day. That's the goal......

OK, then drink every day.

;)

I like this guy. LOL :50: