scottd000 Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 Hi All, I started my W30 on May 11 and am just over 1/3 through. For me it has mostly been easy and I feel pretty good (I ate pretty closely to this anyway - except for beer and some occasional tacos)- so great. The only thing that is hard for me and I guess will be a tough cookie to come to terms with is generally on the weekends I enjoy some cocktails. Are there any W30ers out there who enjoy drinking too? I've read through quite a bit of these forums and haven't really seen to many people touch too deeply on the subject. I mean I can go without beer for 30 days, but I can barely imagine enjoying my weekends as much without some cocktails - my entire social circle drinks - including my wife and family and I enjoy it. I'm guessing the community would frown upon living a W30 lifestyle with cocktails on the weekend. Is there anyone else out there who has reconciled this dilemma? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFChris Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 First of all, no judgment, just fact: if you have cocktails while doing a Whole30, it's no longer a Whole30 - it's your own program. There has been lots of past forum discussion on dealing with alcohol off the Whole30 and then deciding whether or how to live with alcohol in a post-Whole30 world. This is one of the more lengthy threads: http://forum.whole9life.com/topic/13620-wine-an-update-and-some-realizations/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottd000 Posted May 22, 2015 Author Share Posted May 22, 2015 I haven't had any cocktails, sorry if that wasn't clear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ultrarunnergirl Posted May 22, 2015 Moderators Share Posted May 22, 2015 Here are some great posts and discussions: http://forum.whole9life.com/topic/20943-alcohol-judgement-free-zone/ http://whole30.com/2013/07/dear-melissa-the-booze-edition/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFChris Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 I haven't had any cocktails, sorry if that wasn't clear. Oh, ok, I thought you were considering having cocktails on the weekends during your Whole30 - my mistake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munkers Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 Are the weekends really about alcohol or are they about spending time with friends and loved ones? I would put money on it being the latter. You can still hang out with people, even at a bar or restuarant, without drinking. In terms of life after Whole30, yes, some folks drink and they do it in varying amounts. My social circle includes a large majority of people who are really in to craft beer so tastings are a regular thing. I'm wholly gluten intolerant so can't participate in a lot of the tasting, but I can still spend time with them. A lot of our gatherings also center around sharing a communal meal so I get to take part in that as well. The guys try to keep a look out for iteresting ciders and other gluten free goods and they do regularly bring me things to try. Sometimes I have a taste and give the rest to my husband, sometimes I have a bottle all by myself. Ultimately, it's a personal decision based on your own goals and on how your body reacts to foods that you reintroduce. I really, really, REALLY want to try some of the beers that they've discovered, but the consequences aren't worth it to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmary Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 yeah. DURING a whole30, there is no middle ground, no decisions to make, no gray area: you simply can not have alcohol, full stop. POST-whole30, you get to decide what works for you. Personally, I will occasionally have something alcoholic (like a hard cider), but I definitely do it less and less now that I know how those drinks effect me (and now that I know I can have a good time with friends without one). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottd000 Posted May 22, 2015 Author Share Posted May 22, 2015 It does make it easy to not have any drinks being committed to this and I do feel good. The reason I started is that I've had abdominal pain that has gone undiagnosed by doctors for about 3 years and was about to go to a Naturopathic Dr. when my wife told me they would ask me to give up gluten and sugar, so I googled that found W30 and figured I would save a trip to the doctor and check it out first. My stomach pains have been less frequent and intense so I'm kind of committed to this going forward. I guess I will have to wait and see after 30 days, (I'm actually waiting until day 33 - a friday) how a few beers will affect me. Thanks for all the quick responses, the community here is quite supportive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpinSpin Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 As far as your cocktail hour goes, is it that you miss having something in your hand to sip on while others are are downing dirty martinis and beer and the like? What about having a glass of soda water with a twist so you have something to sip? It does look like a vodka and tonic (my go to non whole 30 and if I am somewhere where I can get a drink or even feel like having one!) My hubby is a trucker and I used to drive a school bus so we are pretty dry here and if we are in a social situation, we have the soda water with a twist and no one bats an eye. Would something like that work for you while you are out on the weekends? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maureen Boyle Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 Drinking club soda when you're out works in many situations, but after almost 50 days of this (I had to re-start), I'm starting to run into some of the limitations. When the specific drinks are part of the event, like a recent gathering I went to at a new whiskey bar where everyone is trying and passing around elaborately crafted cocktails, just having a club soda left me feeling pretty isolated. [Not to mention that all I can ever seem to order for food is a bun-less hamburger, but that's a rant for another day.] Another problem that was pretty noticeable when my boyfriend went on the wagon for a few weeks in solidarity with me is that bartenders hate people who just order a club soda, then take up a barstool for a few hours. We're fortunate to have a few bars where we're regulars, but we didn't feel comfortable branching out. Once I can drink again, I feel like that's going to make it a lot easier when I have to go places that don't have compliant food. If I'm only ordering something to pay for my seat, I'm more comfortable with it being an ounce or two of booze than a dish of conventionally raised meats cooked in questionable oils and covered with undisclosed sugars. Finally, an observation for scottd000: if you start with beer, you won't know if it's the booze or the gluten causing any trouble the next day. You might be better off with spirits (I'm planning to drink tequila and soda on my Day 31!) if you're being scientific about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTNan Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Wine was actually the first thing I reintroduced after finishing my whole30 three months ago. During the program, it was easy, because there was no decision-making to do. Now that I'm off "riding my own bike" so to speak, I have decided that beer and wine are something I enjoy, they don't seem to have a negative effect on me, and so I have a few drinks a week. Usually a beer Friday evenings, and a glass or two of wine Saturdays with dinner. Sometimes more, sometimes less. It doesn't turn into a binge, and it doesn't cause me to make poor food choices because I always have a drink WITH a good, filling meal (that is compliant, except for the alcohol!). If it's part of a lifestyle that you enjoy and it's not causing health problems, I don't see a reason why you can't make it work. Good luck! I hope you get to the bottom of your abdominal pain! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirkor Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Reading Allen Carr's book (http://www.amazon.com/Allen-Carrs-Easy-Control-Alcohol/dp/0572028504) really helped put things in perspective for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottd000 Posted May 26, 2015 Author Share Posted May 26, 2015 Well hooray! I went to 2 BBQ's this weekend and brought my own Perrier, really no big thing. Not eating the food was much more difficult. As to one of the previous questions it isn't the feeling of wanting to belong while everyone drinks it is the feeling of have a little buzz and also I truly enjoy the taste of beer. My wife is a big proponent of Tequila so perhaps I will do a shot or two of that next Friday and see first if its the alcohol or the gluten that gives me problems (here's hoping it's neither). Day 16 and going strong here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFChris Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Well hooray! I went to 2 BBQ's this weekend and brought my own Perrier, really no big thing. Not eating the food was much more difficult. As to one of the previous questions it isn't the feeling of wanting to belong while everyone drinks it is the feeling of have a little buzz and also I truly enjoy the taste of beer. My wife is a big proponent of Tequila so perhaps I will do a shot or two of that next Friday and see first if its the alcohol or the gluten that gives me problems (here's hoping it's neither). Day 16 and going strong here! I encourage you to keep going strong and complete your full 30 days of your Whole30 before re-introducing Tequila or any alcohol. Give yourself the benefit of a true test of 30 consecutive days without alcohol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottd000 Posted May 26, 2015 Author Share Posted May 26, 2015 oh yeah, no way I would mess up the whole 30 - too much in to let anything slip through. I meant a week from Friday which now that I think about it will be 2 weeks from this Friday, which will be day 33. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiva Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 I love good red wine and excellent bourbon, and when I'm not doing Whole30 once I year, I enjoy them in moderation. For me, they bring about healthful outcomes; for lots of other people, they don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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