CoyoteEatsGirl

Alcohol and opiates are two completely different drugs. They still both often cause people to fall asleep at the wheel.

RT

This is the textbook definition of 'Easier said than done.'

"Just quit."

Wish I would have thought of that twenty years ago. But I did. I told myself I was moderating for 18 years. I know you mean well Mike, but it takes a helluva lot more than armchair coaching to rid oneself of a burden that is so...passive.

We all make choices in life that we later regret, or wish we could re-live. Since that is not possible, you learn from it. I'm just sorry that it took me that long, and I sympathize with the OP. I'd hate to see any other person waste so much of a life when they know the solution is easy to define, difficult to implement. A little understanding would go much further than debating which depressant is more dangerous.

SBRDude

The point he was making is that it's legal to have a couple drinks and drive - a little impairment IS legal. As such, saying that a little pot creates an a little impairment doesn't really mean anything because the real issue is being "too" impaired to drive.

ravenmore

oh boy has this thread wandered off on some tangents. A lot of soap boxes are being pulled out.

55/Rad

Best advice I've read in this thread.

It will take years to admit to the world you can't REALLY follow the rules. But for most of those years, you'll be admitting it to yourself. You'll comprehend that quitting altogether is probably the only way....but you'll continue to convince yourself that you can obey the rules. It's a vicious cycle.

Until one day, something happens. And you make the decision and take the step.

Ask yourself this - is alcohol the carrot on the end of the stick?

Good luck...

55/Rad

hooligancyclist

Ah yes, I agree, and to add to it, knowing how far is too far is not that easy. Even with solid numbers like the BAC it does not necessarily define a measure of safety. Some people are more impaired at .05 than others. That does not even account for outside factors, like the road conditions or other road users. Some days you need to be more attentive than others and you can't always tell which days.

Daytrip

They're both sedatives, for one thing. Cannabis is not.

You guys can hate on pot all you want; I don't care. I'm not interested in getting into a flame war, and I'm not advocating a position. All I did was make an offhand comment about my own preferences and I get confronted with ignorant, irrelevant nonsense like this. Don't you boyz have anything better to do than beat a dead horse? Like how about addressing the OP's original post?

SBRDude

Yep, that's why the cops can still write someone up for driving impaired even if they are under the legal BAC. The whole safety/lack of safety thing isn't as black and white as many would pretend it to be.

CoyoteEatsGirl

Fair enough.

I think that alcohol/drug impairment on the road is relevant to cycling overall, though. We spend a lot of time on the roads on 20lb pieces of equipment with very little protective gear; it's important we talk about what makes the road safe.

Additionally, with respect to all due parties, I think everyone's essentially echoing the same response to the OP: if you're having difficulty controlling your alcohol consumption yet you feel it negatively impacts important facets of your life, it may be a red flag for addiction. Alternatively, you may not be being honest with yourself: would you rather drink a lot or have the fitness/energy to bike a lot?

CoyoteEatsGirl

I have two (out of two) X chromosomes, but thanks for the inherent sexism.

Additionally, I literally just reiterated your points in a neutral fashion multiple posts back (without adding any of my own or stating them in a negative fashion) and you called me naive and ill-informed.

Daytrip

I said what I said. I don't need you to interpret it for me.

I called your post naive and ill-informed, which I believe it to be. I don't know you, so I have no idea if you're either. Hope not.

SBRDude

Sure, it might be, but it also might just be a wakeup call to get better control of something that could be a bigger problem. I'm only pointing this out because it's real easy for others to throw around words like addiction without them really being true. Most of us have stuff we like and will sometimes do it to excess, but that's different than an addiction. Not trying to be argumentative, just trying to provide some clarity.

CoyoteEatsGirl

Nah, man, I think we're on the same page (that's what I meant when I said "Alternatively, you may just not be being honest with yourself.") I meant it to be an alternative to having an addiction; you just wrote it out more clearly.

A lot of times our lifestyles reflect our priorities better than we know.

hooligancyclist

jmsmke

Some of these responses are interesting. The drinking habits the OP describes sound like the typical, normal drinking habits of many people I know-none of whom would ever consider the possibility that they are an alcoholic.

I realize Wisconsin has a bit of a reputation having a heavy drinking culture which may skew my point of view but if the OP is being honest in his description of his drinking there is no way he is anywhere close to being an alcoholic.

As others have said already, try to lessen your intake the night before or drink lots water in between drinks to stay hydrated.

Otherwise if you still feel the need to drink the day after a bender and still want to ride you should give this a try:
https://www.velominati.com/blog/gener...d-test-update/

panamapete

ill try to stick to the topic..... im 27 and i have my weeks, days, months, years, that i drink differently, dont knock yourself up about the drinking..... having a drink the next day is ease up the pain is called "hair of the dog" if im not correct, but you shouldnt over do it if you want to ride, think of it like this if you wanna ride hard the next day, ease up the night before, if you dont then dont go to bed to till you see the sun coming up.... its all up to you and you are the only one thats gonnna make the change. so man up and drink up, or suck it up on those early morning rides!

RUOkie

You may have a drinking problem if you...

• Feel guilty or ashamed about your drinking.
• Lie to others or hide your drinking habits.
• Have friends or family members who are worried about your drinking.
• Need to drink in order to relax or feel better.
• “Black out” or forget what you did while you were drinking.
• Regularly drink more than you intended to.

WHOOOSSHHH...

Don't drink..

Vicelord

In response to all of the "you're an alcoholic responses" you guys either don't understand or I explained poorly.

I can have one beer and stop. I can go to a bar with friends and not drink. I don't crave alcohol any more than I crave a cup of Greek yogurt.

I simply like to "let loose" with friends on the weekends. It's summer in phx and drinking from 10am to whenever by the pool is what a lot of ppl do.

I'm simply asking if anyone else parties and rides. Simple as that.

A lot of you are on a soap box

jmsmke

You must be fun to be around at a party...

Mike F

Text book denial its a joke people...

iheartbenben

I've noticed it a lot this summer. In the winter, I didn't at all, and was riding intoxicated to and from various places where drinking occurs.

Then one night I just inched my way into the street curb going a decent pace, and just remember being bloody and wrapped up in my bike. Would've been hurt more if I wasn't drunk.

Now like you, I don't drink within 24 hours of a ride, ideally. I don't get on bikes drunk on the ROAD anymore. MTB is still fun. Drinking saps my energy and makes me worry about my organs dying.

blueride2

Sad story and all too common. The price we pay for alcoholism is enormous.

RUOkie

You see, I drink. I enjoy alcohol. But I also answer "no" to all of those questions. At no time in my 44 yrs have I ever answered yes to any of those questions. That is the issue, not whether or not someone drinks, or even gets drunk. It is the intent, and what the person's relationship with alcohol (or insert any drug) is.

Spend some time around some people with real substance abuse problems and then get back to me with your flippant responses.

rooftest

hmm.. You posted your "who parties and rides" response to the wrong thread. This thread's the one where you're whining about your own drinking. I don't give a rat's ass what you do, (as another poster said - Darwin's law'll take care of you,) but you're certainly not helping your case with those who think you're an alcoholic.