In the UK even my student life (Netherlands) would be called average, haha.
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I used to drink a lot. Not touched anything for about 18 months now.
Itās made no difference to my power output. Had helped my w/kg though via weight loss.
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Generally once a week, generally 4 or 5 pints/ 500ml bottles. I tend to time this the evening of my weekend long spin, although that depends on how early I plan to be out.
I used to be able to do the night before when my group spins were triathlon club. I wasnāt really able for the beers + late night + early start once I focused more on the bike and joined a cycling club. I definitely notice a difference without them.
So I went from Friday and Sunday (3 pints), to now itās generally one of Friday or Saturday depending on the spin and family plans. Dropping the Sunday wasnāt really 100% training, more Iād be tired for work and a promotion, but I did see a training benefit from dropping them (better sleep I think, like work).
Although in my own case, I believe itās all the crap I eat with the beers as much as the alcohol - thereās normally crisps/ chips (delete as applicable to what side of the Atlantic youāre on!), and I do have a tendancy to binge a bit afterwards.
Luckily, Iāve never really been a sit on my own/ watch TV and have drink type of person. Iād be more likely to use the calories on crisps/ chips or popcorn or chocolate than one or two drinks. Not sure thatās much more healthy though.
I used to drink far too much (A beer then 1/2 to 2/3 bottle of wine then maybe a whisky or 2 most nights). At the end of June I cut alcohol out virtually completely and the effect on my recovery from cycling, and my sleeping has been seismic. Iām just back from a 3 week holiday in France when I started drinking alcohol again. My sleep and recovery metrics dropped through the floor. Iām back off it now and everything is as it was during the 8 weeks alcohol free.
The game changer for me has been the development of non alcoholic beers. Previously they were awful. Now they can be a genuine alternative to normal alcoholic drinks. I never stopped drinking before for an extended period as I could not imagine a life drinking fizzy water with every meal. Now there is an alternative I can envisage life without alcohol with a meal and itā's made it so much easier to stop.
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Yeah Iāve noticed the low alcohol beers in the last few weeks, quite low calorie too!
Ive cut out weekday beers/scotch. Made a big difference. And I have a few costly scotches that i enjoy. The reason i say costly is because theyre the kind that you āsipā on and therefore donāt drink as fast/as much as say, good olā Grants ahahha.
That way not only do i save money on the long run but iām drinking less. Win Win!
Ive now made an attempt to go non-alcoholic beers Through the week ā¦ erdinger alcohol free is even isotonic 
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iāve gone through so much flavored sparking water since dropping alcohol consumption, itās absurd. hits that fizzy water feel
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Scotch/Whisky/Bourbon is great, one of my favorites, great with a cigar too (yea Iām that cyclist LOL)
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I tried that approach with red wine. Get a good quality one I thought, Iāll drink it slower I thought, I wonāt therefore drink as much I thought, Iāll save money in the long run I thought. Problem was I liked the better quality ones more than the cheapo stuff so drank more and it cost me more.
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Try the Brew Dog Punk Alcohol Free IPA. Virtually indistinguishable from the real Punk IPA. Or the Brew Dog Nanny State.
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Yes. Iāve tried it ā¦ very good
Tonight Iām having to put up with Becks Blue
Oh wine is a different beast. The more of it you get, the $hittier the wine you can ingest. So you can start with expensive bottles and end up with cheap ones ā¦ itās a slippery slope ahaha
Nanny State is really nice - sometimes Iām tempted just on taste as itās nicer than some Session IPAās.
Not a lager drinker, but the Guinness one isnāt too bad. Better than Heineken 0 anyway.
The new explosion of american craft beer has made it a bit easier to cut back a bit, and make a slow switch to less calorie dense wine or whiskey/gin.
Just so much so-so craft american beer being made now. Normally I would say even the effort is a great thing to be applaudedā¦but its squeezing out world reknowned european beers in bars and on store shelves. Things line Fullers ESBā¦which used to be everywhere, are much harder to find now.
Thats pretty much my attitude/consumption as well.
Iām 1, maybe 2 drinks a night, down from 2-3(or moreā¦) Most nights. I try to drink ligher things like wine or a rye old fashioned with just a splash of simple syrup.
I actually enjoy healthierā¦or at least ārealā food more than garbage, so diet has definitely been an easier get for me than cutting alcohol out.
Fullers were pushing the definition of ācraftā, even before they were taken over by a multinational. imho.
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The 2 most popular Non Alcoholic Beers in the pubs round appear to be Becks Blue and Heineken0. Both are little better that the Kaliber from back in the day.
Heineken is making inroads, but erdinger or paulaner the staples. Iām not really a fan of wheat beers, but Iād still take them over the lager options.
Depends on how you define ācraftā though, of course.
Does craft mean small? Local? Or just beer that reaches the upper bounds of delicious taste?
Iād say after sampling a LOT of craft brews from the new boomā¦many small craft brewers dont know their craft nearly as well as many of the more established, larger names. Fullers, Sam Smith, Chimay, etc.