I am 24...JUST going raw...and I like to party.

By that, I mean I sometimes enjoy my occasional weekend out. I don't drink often. Many times I go months without drinking at all..otherwise I might have two or three nights of drinking a month...and when I do drink I never have more than three drinks or so.

I'm sure that many will say for optimal health, abstaining is best...but I'm not ready to give up my occasional partying. Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas for a healthy compromise? If a raw foodist IS to drink, what is the healthiest option, or should I say, least unhealthy option?

Does anyone have information on raw/cold processed wines, sakes or other kinds of liquor?

Opinion: I hear you....ahh...my punk-rocker days....

-It's a matter of what not compromising with what YOU really believe. If you think alcohol is 'bad' then you should set a schedule to cut down and then eliminate it. If you think it is 'good' then you should drink more of it. If you think it is just 'OK' and you don't have any goals that preclude it....then go ahead and drink it! Don't let anyone else tell you that you can't! LOL.

-I personally do not drink (quit many years ago) as I believe it is a nervous system depressant....and my nervous system definitely doesn't need any chemical depressing! Ha! ha!

-I'm sure others could give you tips on more organic or natural wines or other alcoholic beverages.

-More power to you.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

I think if you drink,plus eat a raw food diet the rest of the time,that IS the healthiest option as far as fitting it onto your life.But as David said,its a depressant,and I also dont need any of that.
As far as what to drink?
Maybe a fine red wine is the healthiest?
But trust me on one point,you will find that maybe one day you will wake up and realize alcohol was the worst road you could have gone down.

Brian

Well, with time, the actual craving won't be as strong for the alcohol if you stick to a clean, healthy raw way of eating. And yes, I was a 6 night a week go out drinker many years ago and took a while to stop myself. I'm a musician, so I'm still out in the clubs steadily, without alcohol though these days. I'd suggest give it up entirely if you can, easier in the long run.

But the biggest thing is, the cleaner you get, the harder the alcohol will hit you. Not in the best ways which may influence your choices more than anything. :O(

I don't drink anymore either, but from what I understand, organic red wine is going to be the best of a bad lot!

Rob

--
Rob Hull - Funky Raw
My blog: [www.rawrob.com]

Quote

Posted by: orangeflame (IP Logged)
Date: May 09, 2008 10:29AM

I'm not ready to give up my occasional partying.

The fact that you are holding onto your drinking so tenaciously even to the point of finding a way to lessen your health risk from drinking but continuing to drink anyway indicates that you already have a booze problem.

EZ rider Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The fact that you are holding onto your drinking
> so tenaciously even to the point of finding a way
> to lessen your health risk from drinking but
> continuing to drink anyway indicates that you
> already have a booze problem.

What's wrong with a gradual transition? That's how I did it, and many others I have spoken to also. I gave up alcohol in the same way I gave up cooked foods - without any pressure on myself and without any guilt. Just drinking less and less, with longer and longer gaps between drinking until there was no desire to ever drink again.

Rob

--
Rob Hull - Funky Raw
My blog: [www.rawrob.com]

Quote

Posted by: Funky Rob (IP Logged)
Date: May 09, 2008 12:36PM

What's wrong with a gradual transition?

If the goal is to get free of the booze then I would agree with you and that whatever works could save going through more difficult problems later.

To 'fit' into their social environment in the club scene, some choose to get water and maybe lemon, so it doesn't seem odd that they are not drinking anything. Instead of water, others choose a soft drink, obviously not raw nor nutritious but not as strong as alcohol.

Pistachio Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Instead of water, others choose a soft
> drink, obviously not raw nor nutritious but not as
> strong as alcohol.

Mmm, that's a tough one. I think I'd go for red wine (fermented fruit juice) over cola (sugared water with chemicals)!

Rob

--
Rob Hull - Funky Raw
My blog: [www.rawrob.com]

If you like to party, you may want to participate in the drinking just to be part of the group. If drinking is not the primary purpose of the gathering, you can generally manage to reduce or eliminate your alcohol intake - assuming you want to. If the point is to get roaring drunk, you may want to consider whether attending is compatible with your personal goals.

If you are in clubs or bars, most of these places will be happy to give you a seltzer water with a twist of lime, or a glass of red wine is a comparatively healthy choice. If you are at your home or a friend's home you have even more flexibility to guide the nature of the party. Bring a bottle of straight ginger juice and challenge your friends to shots. No one will get drunk, but the fun is still there. An idea for a different kind of party - make piƱa coladas out of a pineapple and a coconut. If it needs to be alcoholic, add some white or rice wine. The alcohol content will be lower than with the typical rum, but unless you live in a tropical region your friends will probably consider it a rare treat. Remember that if you are drinking alcohol, a lighter raw diet may allow the alcohol to hit your bloodstream faster and your capacity may be lower than you remember it to be. Fortify yourself with raw fats, like nuts or avocado.

I don't drink, so I can't help ... But, I thought, just to mingle, have a nice glass of red wine in your hand and "mingle" without drinking a sip I mean I have actually done it many times, so I know it works. Just my opinion

It sounds like orangeflame wants to drink alcohol. Not nurse an unsipped drink, or drink juice, or soda, or water. Booze, baby!

It's ok if you're not ready to make the full time 24/7 commitment...you'll do it when you're ready. My suggestion is the same as those above who said that organic red wine is the kindest thing. Good luck with your raw journey and be safe.

When I first started doing raw, I was bar-tending, in my 20's, and partying often. I had almost a full bar at my apartment, and when I had company, I would basically spike the raw, organic smoothies. The juicer and blender would be going all night. (sigh) Those were fun days. I am now in my late, late 20's and no longer drink alcohol. I still have loads of fun, its just different fun. Enjoy life, learn from your experiences, and grow.

Towards the end of my drinking days it was sulfite free wine, and sake. You could make many typical mixed drinks using sake in place of the other liquor.

EZ rider Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Posted by: orangeflame (IP Logged)
> Date: May 09, 2008 10:29AM
>
> I'm not ready to give up my occasional partying.
>
> The fact that you are holding onto your drinking
> so tenaciously even to the point of finding a way
> to lessen your health risk from drinking but
> continuing to drink anyway indicates that you
> already have a booze problem.



To be blunt, EZ Rider...that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard, and quite an unfair assumption on your part.

Look, folks. I'm young, I have a lot of young, fun loving friends...and I enjoy the social atmosphere and light buzz that I get from a few drinks on occassion in moderation. As I wrote in my first thread, drinking is not something I ever do often, or ever do heavily..and I can safely say that I am lucky enough to have no dependence whatsoever on any substance.

Let me rephrase and say that, rather than "I'm not ready to give up my occassional partying" I will say that "I don't intend on giving it up at all, at least not right now."

I've gone raw very recently and am now looking for a healthier way to enjoy my occassional alcohol buzz. Who knows, one day I may reevaluate and decide I no longer want to drink..but I don't think in extremes. I don't believe that one must either be a binge drinking, twinkie eating, sedentary, self destructive sad sack or a marathon running, nothing EVER touches my lips unless it was just picked off a tree in my backyard purist.

I am somewhere in the middle, and that is where I intend to stay. I believe that the perfect approach for me is to eat as much pure, living, fresh, (preferably organic) food as I can (I've been at 95 percent this whole week and I'm very excited, as it's only my second week ever), to continue being physically active, and to enjoy life in the meantime by remembering that there is so much more to it than those specifics: love, laughter, family, friends, adventure, music, kindness, charity, learning, dancing, traveling...

For me, there must be a balance. And this is part of me finding mine.

Then drink.

:-) Haida, you must either be 29, or you're one of those people who will never turn thirty and "late, late twenties" is code for forty-two. I just turned thirty last month, and I'm already finding that I get treated more like an adult.

It's clear from everyone's posts that the raw food community remains divided on the subject of alcohol. I've been mostly raw for about ten months. During that time I've gone through periods where I am more raw, less raw, drinking, and not drinking. I have found that the more cooked food I eat the more sluggish I become every moment of the day. I yawn at work, don't take on as many projects at home, and need more sleep. The more alcohol I drink the more I need to sleep to deal with the onslaught, but it doesn't seem to affect me as strongly overall as the cooked foods. I'm not saying I don't feel more energetic without the alcohol, but I feel that there is a lot more to fear in a cup-o-noodles than a bottle of wine.

That said, how people are affected by food and alcohol varies wildly, and some might be much more damaged. I don't know if it's true, but I've heard that after many centuries of very high alcohol consumption in Europe, Europeans are now genetically better able to break down alcohol and tolerate its effects than many other peoples. (Something about generating a unique enzyme.) If true, I can't decide whether it's an advantage or a disadvantage.

Quote

Posted by: orangeflame (IP Logged)
Date: May 09, 2008 05:18PM

an unfair assumption on your part

I didn't make an assumption. I reached a logical conclusion based on your posted information.

EZ rider needs to take a step back and stop being judgemental! Janice

EZ rider Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Posted by: orangeflame (IP Logged)
> Date: May 09, 2008 10:29AM
>
> I'm not ready to give up my occasional partying.
>
> The fact that you are holding onto your drinking
> so tenaciously even to the point of finding a way
> to lessen your health risk from drinking but
> continuing to drink anyway indicates that you
> already have a booze problem.

This is BS. There's not way you can judge him/her to make that call.

Besides, there is no evidence that occasional drinking is harmful to one's health. In fact red wine is generally associated with good health.

I agree with the idea that eating raw will cause the alcohol to impact you more. I drink alot. I always have. However I don't drink as much now than I did when I was 19 or so. I have calmed down a bit. My fave is wine, chardonay to be specific. I have noticed that since eating mostly raw I get drunk much easier. It use to be 3 or 4 glasses and I was toasted, now it's 1 maybe 1 1/2.

I also am not quite ready to give it up. It's not that I don't want to be healthy but I just want to drink. Eventually I know that I will find my way out of this and stop all together. That day will come, I have no doubt.In fact it seems to be sneaking up on me faster than I thought..

It is my opinion that the best choice would be wine, red or white (I personally like white), preferrably organic. I don't know if anyone else is like this but when I drink beer lately it makes me want to eat cooked things and the next day I feel bloated, groggy, and I want to hit the nearest buffet. But when I drink wine, I can stick with raw more easily and the next day I don't have such an outrageous appetite. I do, however, ask hubby to split the bottle with me so that I am not tempted to drink the entire thing by myself. And then I lay the table out with a nice array of things like guacamole, celery, fruit... whatever I think I may want just so I don't want to cook anything. My hubby and I actually have alot of fun with this. It's kinda like a little date of sorts.



River Willow

I really like the movie "28 Days" starring Sandra Bullock. Its about a young lady who has a drinking problem who dries out and gets her life back on track. Its my favorite Sandra Bullock movie.

Its not unusual to think one's own experiences apply to everyone else, but they don't. We're all unique individuals.

The original poster, a 24 year old, asked if it wouldn't be bad if he had an occasional drink once or twice a month while he was socializing
and what would be the least harmful alcoholic beverage to drink when doing that.

Depending on one's health and if age reflects constitutional influences the body of a 24 year old should still be pretty resilient. Most people can burn the candle at both ends getting off pretty much scott free until they reach their 30s (unless what they were born with presented a challenge). Some people make it to their 40s with out problems.

The thing to remember is, the older one gets, the more their body tends to break down if not given the right amounts of nutrition, exercise and resting to recuperate.

Orangeflame,
My suggestion is at your young age if you feel you must drink, go for taste not the buzz; good wine and good beer. (With beers, read the label. Some of the micro brewery items out there read more like an herbal medicine.)

If everyone is drinking mixed drinks, you might try asking for the drink without the distilled spirits. (Some bars juice the fruits fresh.)
The bartender will understand. There's a lot of people out there trying to stay sober or on meds and can't drink.

The bartender well just be happy to be able to sell you something
and
your friends will appreciate you volunteering as the designated driver.

At the tender age of 24 you probably can drink a couple glasses of wine or beer without much long term physical damage, but do pay attention for the damage.

I think what you'll find is after a while of living healthy you will expect to be even more healthy.
Your tolerance for feeling hung over or out of sorts afterwards will eventually not be there. You'll demand health and not have patience for anything that short changes you from feeling healthy.

That's when you probably aren't going to have any room in your life for alcohol.
That's also probably the time when you'll look around and decide you need to surround yourself with a community that isn't drinking alcohol as well.
Perhaps.

What you might also discover is, if you're not drinking alcohol it will give some of your more perceptive friends permission to abstain from alcohol as well. What you might find is, the healthier you become the more your friends will respect your nutrition choices and probably join you in the healthier lifestyle.

"Depending on one's health and if age reflects constitutional influences the body of a 24 year old should still be pretty resilient. Most people can burn the candle at both ends getting off pretty much scott free until they reach their 30s (unless what they were born with presented a challenge). Some people make it to their 40s with out problems. "

Yes, I agree with this. People start noticably diverging at around 35, plus or minus. After that, they effects of self-abuse become much more noticeable. We are so conditioned to these effects that we think they are a normal part of the aging process but in many cases they are completely elective.

DONT DRINK!
I used to hang out with friends at bars and never drank.
I would come home,do a workout,and KNEW I felt more peace than any of them.
Brian



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/10/2008 06:37PM by Raw1228.

I never denied myself alcohol since I've been raw, but I've found I want it much less. I'm sure I would vomit hard liquor if I drank that now.

A good wine... now and again... can be delicious! I had to try an organic white wine sangria at a raw restaurant that was infused with pears, blueberries, all kinds of wonderful nonsense. It was fabulous.

It was also expensive, and the wild blueberry juice made me feel better.

My boyfriend bought a bottle of organic wine for our anniversary a few weeks ago, and the alcohol content was just too much. Headaches came before the buzz. It wasn't as pleasant as it used to be... but my scope of pleasure has expanded so much in other ways, I never even noticed not wanting the wine.

Just my experience! I think your body will let you know when something isn't good if you just listen to it, and if a few drinks on occasion doesn't give you that signal right now and you're not worried about it... just check back with #1 from time to time to see if your feelings have changed. =)

Quote

Posted by: hyldemoer (IP Logged)
Date: May 10, 2008 09:47AM

entire post

Your post is really a great post. I wish I would have figured that out when I was 24 and saved a lot of time, trouble, and health.

Thank you to everyone for your insights and opinions!

Now 15 days sober.
For Gods sake,anyone contemplating a drink.....
DONT!!!
It will cost you everything that means anything to you.

Brian



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/12/2008 05:01AM by Raw1228.

I like a little organic wine a few times a week to once every other week. I love beer (microbrews), but they make me feel like I ate a loaf of cooked bread so I rarely drink it any more. I was given a bottle of Grey Goose a couple of weeks ago and once in a while I'd entertain a drink with mostly fresh juice and a little Goose (only did it once and only wanted a few sips of my honey's drink, but it was yummy). If I were to hang out at bars I would go for 1)organic wine if it's available or 2)a mixed drink with fresh juice.