{"id":344676,"date":"2026-02-19T04:11:26","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T04:11:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/344676\/"},"modified":"2026-02-19T04:11:26","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T04:11:26","slug":"does-running-have-an-alcohol-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/344676\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Running Have an Alcohol Problem?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pro ultrarunner Coree Woltering<\/a> doesn\u2019t do anything halfway. \u201cIf I\u2019m going to do it, I want to do like 120 percent, no matter what it is,\u201d he says. When he brings that attitude to his running<\/a> and racing, the results speak for themselves\u2014like setting a new fastest known time on the 1,000-plus-mile Ice Age Trail across Wisconsin in 2020. <\/p>\n

However, Woltering also brought that attitude to the bar. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t just a \u2018let\u2019s have two beers and be done\u2019 thing,\u201d says the 32-year-old from Dalton, Georgia. Two beers at his house would lead to four more at the bar. \u201cSix a night would be normal.\u201d The results were noteworthy\u2014but in all the wrong ways. His training became inconsistent. After long nights out, he\u2019d sometimes skip sessions. When he did get out to run, he found his focus and mental fortitude lacking. Woltering doesn\u2019t take over-the-counter pain management medications like Tylenol or ibuprofen. Instead, he\u2019d slam a beer or two late in a race, hoping to hush the screaming of his feet and legs. <\/p>\n

\"coreeKevin Serna<\/p>\n

Coree Woltering drank alcohol late in races in an attempt to relieve pain.<\/p>\n

This approach is not unusual, says David Wyrick, PhD, a public health education professor and the director of the Institute to Promote Athlete Health & Wellness at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. Wyrick studies alcohol use among student-athletes. Pain control is one of three primary reasons athletes report using alcohol (along with stress management and as a way to celebrate). Though, when it comes to pain, \u201cthere\u2019s no evidence that alcohol has medicinal benefits,\u201d says Wyrick. <\/p>\n

Almost all the benefits Americans attribute to alcohol\u2014that it is good for the heart, helps you sleep, eases pain\u2014are false, says George F. Koob, PhD, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. \u201cThe truth is, there\u2019s no safe amount of alcohol, not even one drink a day,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n

And yet: Running culture\u2014which is otherwise populated by protein-shake-drinking, heart-rate-tracking, health-obsessed fitness nuts\u2014is enmeshed with drinking. From brewery-based runs to the infamous beer mile to groups with the motto \u201ca drinking club with a running problem,\u201d alcohol is as much a part of the fabric of our sport as energy gels. But the fact is, alcohol destroys lives and families. Running culture that glibly celebrates it is feeding that destruction. <\/p>\n

Pulling them apart doesn\u2019t mean eliminating alcohol. Koob has spent the last eight years working on issues around alcohol abuse, yet he describes his own approach to alcohol as \u201cone eye open.\u201d A glass of beer or wine every now and then? That\u2019s fine for most runners. But blithely telling yourself beer is a recovery drink because it has carbs and your Tuesday night run ends at a bar? Not so much. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s time to take a good look at what we know\u2014and don\u2019t know\u2014about alcohol\u2019s relationship to our health, running performance, and mental well-being. <\/p>\n

\"beerBooze and Sleep Don\u2019t Mix<\/p>\n

Three years ago, journalist Lisa Slade, a 38-year-old recreational marathoner, purchased a Whoop wearable device. Each morning, Whoop prompted her to input data about what she did before bed. Questions included: Did you eat a big meal? Are you under a lot of stress? Did you consume alcohol last night?<\/p>\n

At the end of the first month, Slade got a summary of her data. \u201cPretty much the only thing I noticed that negatively impacted me to an alarming amount was alcohol,\u201d she says. Slade had considered herself a light drinker\u2014maybe a beer while making dinner, or two cocktails if she was out with friends. Even that low dose, though, was affecting her recovery times and sleep quality by as much as 20 percent. \u201cI could tell that I was having a harder time recovering from it,\u201d she says. After \u201cjust one or two drinks, I\u2019d wake up and wouldn\u2019t feel so good, like I hadn\u2019t slept super well.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"lisaCourtesy Lisa Slade<\/p>\n

Lisa Slade at a 50K race<\/p>\n

Emily Capidolupo, senior vice president of data science and research at Whoop, says Slade\u2019s revelation is common among new Whoop users. She adds that many cut back on drinking after a few months of using the wearable, which uses biometric data like heart rate, heart-rate variability, respiration rate, and sleep quality to score a user\u2019s overall recovery. Alcohol \u201cis one of those things we know is bad for us, but we don\u2019t realize quite how bad,\u201d she says. When Whoop presents the data in a tidy end-of-month report, it\u2019s clear for many users that alcohol is a poison. \u201cIt\u2019s a fun poison,\u201d says Capidolupo. \u201cBut it\u2019s poison.\u201d
<\/p>\n

When you head out for beers after an evening run, you put an extra task on your body\u2019s to-do list. In addition to recovering, it now must divert energy to breaking down the alcohol entering your bloodstream, inhibiting crucial functions like repairing exercise-induced muscle damage. Alcohol also impacts your immune system, blocking inflammatory responses vital to this process. For chronic drinkers, the negative effect on immunity can lead to more illness and fewer training days. <\/p>\n

Compounding the issue, though, is that the most popular time to imbibe is in the hours before bed. Alcohol wrecks sleep quality, says Christopher Winter, MD, a Charlottesville, Virginia\u2013based sleep specialist and host of the Sleep Unplugged podcast. If this seems counterintuitive, and a single beer makes you drowsy, you\u2019re not alone. Alcohol is the most popular sleep aid in the country, he says, but that\u2019s because most people don\u2019t understand the difference between being sedated and being asleep. <\/p>\n

\"blurry<\/p>\n

Trevor Raab<\/p>\n

Alcohol suppresses your central nervous system. That is not high-quality rest. Since alcohol relaxes a lot of the muscles involved with breathing, you may breathe less deeply as you sleep, lowering your oxygen saturation levels, says Winter. When you\u2019re not getting enough oxygen, your body\u2019s natural response is to wake you up. Alcohol also suppresses deep sleep, which is when your body makes growth hormone. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re grinding out the miles and trying to recover before a race or your next training session, alcohol impairs your ability to do that,\u201d he says. It may also interfere with the secretion of melatonin, a hormone associated with sleep, which can mess with your shut-eye schedule causing daytime drowsiness and nighttime restlessness\u2014so you reach for another beer. If you do plan to drink, drink less and do it very early, says Winter. \u201cThere really is no way to sidestep its negative properties.\u201d <\/p>\n

Not being able to fall asleep can cause extreme anxiety, especially as you count the minutes wide awake until the alarm says it\u2019s time to get up. Many people turn to alcohol to dull anxiety, though it\u2019s neither good nor effective, says Winter. It may mask the issue for a night, but it won\u2019t give you the rest you need. If you\u2019re struggling to get to sleep at night, first clean up your sleep hygiene by logging off devices and stress-inducing news sources at least an hour before bed. Consider meditation or quiet journaling, which can help you unwind, says Winter. And if you\u2019re still worried about your sleep quality, take the issue to a sleep specialist. <\/p>\n

\"beer The Pandemic Didn\u2019t Help<\/p>\n

J.R. Jamison, a 43-year-old Indiana-based author and NPR host, took up running 10 years ago and eventually lost 80 pounds. He was healthy and fit and loved how running got him out into the world. But when the pandemic hit, he found it difficult to differentiate between weekends and weekdays. <\/p>\n

\"jrCourtesy J.R. Jamison<\/p>\n

J.R. Jamison, sober since January 2022.<\/p>\n

Jamison admits his weekend drinking habits had always been on the heavy side. But when Tuesday night started to feel just like a Friday night and no one was going anywhere, weekend drinking became everyday drinking. Next thing he knew, the running habit that had changed his life had fallen by the wayside. \u201cThere\u2019s no doubt that substance use disorders have skyrocketed since the pandemic,\u201d says Dave Rabin, MD, PhD, a San Francisco\u2013based psychiatrist. A CDC report from August of 2020 found that 13 percent of Americans started or increased their use of substances like alcohol during the first six months of 2020.
<\/p>\n

Rabin says that, at its core, substance use stems from a human desire to avoid discomfort like stress, anxiety, or lack of control. And if we haven\u2019t learned healthy, long-term strategies for managing discomfort, we look for something to alleviate that discomfort. Alcohol often produces the desired numbing effect.<\/p>\n

As Jamison found himself drinking more, he had less energy and motivation. He\u2019d wake up with brain fog and struggle through a day of work. With no impetus to run, and little accomplished professionally, he\u2019d reach for a drink each night.
<\/p>\n

What\u2019s so insidious about alcohol and other sedatives, says Rabin, is that these drugs numb our frontal-cortex activity, decreasing our insight and judgment. As a result, we unwittingly train ourselves to embrace a casual attitude toward self-reflection\u2014and wind up oblivious to our problematic behavior, he says. <\/p>\n

\n

The truth is, there\u2019s no safe amount of alcohol, not even one drink a day.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Running, however, does the opposite. It results in a neurochemical response in the brain, with endogenous pleasure molecules, endogenous opioid molecules, and endogenous cannabinoid molecules, plus dopamine and serotonin, all releasing on cue like one glorious feel-good chorus. This is why addiction specialists often recommend it as a coping mechanism for those struggling with alcohol use disorder, says Rabin.<\/p>\n

But running won\u2019t help if you can\u2019t summon the motivation to do it. It took Jamison more than a year to rediscover his enthusiasm. As 2021 came to a close, he committed to Dry January. \u201cI didn\u2019t have a drop to drink throughout January, and I started to notice that I wasn\u2019t waking up anymore with headaches,\u201d he says. He started running again. \u201cI liked the way I felt. I was happier. I just decided not to drink again, and I haven\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"beerThe Myth of Healthy Drinking<\/p>\n

Not long after Lisa Slade saw the effect of alcohol on her Whoop data, she clicked around the Internet looking for more info on why the impact was so dramatic. \u201cWe\u2019ve been told our whole lives that a beer or a glass of wine is heart-healthy,\u201d says Slade, who has since cut back her drinking. \u201cBut I was reading studies about the effects of alcohol and it turns out that maybe it\u2019s not good for you at all.\u201d
<\/p>\n

Alcohol is a known carcinogen, a substance that can cause cancer, says Tim Rebbeck, MD, a professor of cancer prevention at Harvard University. When you drink, your body relies on two enzymes to break alcohol molecules into pieces small enough for removal from the body. That breakdown process creates a byproduct called acetaldehyde. Laboratory, animal, and human studies have all shown that acetaldehyde causes DNA damage to cells, and this damage can lead to cancerous tumors. \u201cWe are sure that alcohol is a causative factor in some cancers, and it\u2019s supported by lots of different lines of evidence,\u201d says Rebbeck. <\/p>\n

Getting the word out that alcohol\u2014like tobacco\u2014is a carcinogen has been difficult for several reasons. For one thing, alcohol is socially acceptable and even socially encouraged. Furthermore, the relationship between alcohol and cancer is more complicated than smoking\u2019s direct link to lung cancer. Head, neck, liver, and breast cancer all have strong links to alcohol, says Rebbeck. But, of course, some people who never drank a drop will still get breast cancer and vice versa. \u201cIt\u2019s a complex story, and people have a hard time digesting complex stories,\u201d he says. And how much of a role alcohol played in any one person\u2019s cancer development is an impossible equation to tease out.<\/p>\n

\"post<\/p>\n

Trevor Raab<\/p>\n

As for a glass of wine being heart-healthy, recent research has debunked that advice, says Koob. The early studies concluding that it helps your heart were based on the resveratrol in red wine, but the amount you\u2019d have to drink to get the benefits of the compound would tear your liver up, he says. A 2019 study published in the Journal of The American Heart Association confirms this, finding that heavy drinking is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
<\/p>\n

Even studies that find some benefit to drinking may not hold up under scrutiny. Over the years, a handful of meta-analyses of all-cause mortality among drinkers versus nondrinkers found a \u201cJ-shaped curve\u201d between the two. Basically, mortality was slightly higher for nondrinkers, but dipped for moderate drinkers, and then rose sharply for heavy drinkers, forming a J. This would appear to make the \u201cglass of wine for heart health\u201d statement true. But in 2015, researchers took a closer look at these studies. When they teased out exactly why many abstainers did so, they found a confounding variable: These people were eschewing alcohol because of existing health concerns. In other words, they were less healthy than the moderate-drinking group to begin with. When researchers adjusted the data to account for abstainers with outstanding health concerns, the initial hump on the J flattened out. <\/p>\n

Studying alcohol use and health effects is difficult, in part because people often don\u2019t remember how much they consumed or because they aren\u2019t being honest about it, says Rebbeck. That makes giving recommendations on how much and how often to drink difficult, too. <\/p>\n

Interestingly, not a single expert interviewed for this story told us to stop drinking. Several mentioned that they occasionally enjoy wine and beer. \u201c\u2018Don\u2019t ever do anything that might harm you\u2019 is not useful messaging,\u201d says Rebbeck. Life is full of things that can harm us. Overly charred toast. Processed meats. The flame retardant on our couches. Uneven sidewalks waiting for unsuspecting runners. <\/p>\n

A better approach is to consider your personal risk factors, your tolerance for risk, and the joy that alcohol\u2014in moderation\u2014brings you. If you have a family history of breast cancer, or head and neck cancers, you may decide the risk isn\u2019t worth it. If you don\u2019t, drinking in moderation may be a risk you\u2019re willing to take. However, \u201climiting your exposure to alcohol is the bottom-\u200bline answer,\u201d Rebbeck says. \u201cYou are consuming a carcinogen. How much of that do you really want?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"beerThe Longest Race: Sobriety<\/p>\n

For Coree Woltering, that amount was zero. On November 1, 2021, Woltering got sober. In past years, he\u2019d taken time away from drinking and seen an improvement in his training. But then he\u2019d go back to drinking\u2014and plunge off the deep end. There wasn\u2019t a happy medium where he just had one beer every other night. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t just like I drank to get drunk,\u201d he says. \u201cI really enjoyed the taste of certain wines, certain beers. But that\u2019s part of the problem, I enjoyed it to 150 percent.\u201d<\/p>\n

A week of sobriety passed. Then another. He jumped in to crew a friend through an ultra and got offered a shot of Fireball at an aid station. When he turned it down, everyone was surprised. \u201cThey\u2019re like, \u2018Oh, are you not feeling well?\u2019 I\u2019m like, \u2018No, I feel great. I\u2019m just not drinking.\u2019 And everyone\u2019s like, \u2018Oh, are you sick?\u2019 \u2018No, I\u2019m not sick. I\u2019m just literally not drinking.\u2019\u201d That drinking culture and running culture knot is tight. <\/p>\n

In the first month, Woltering focused on consistency. He set a goal to run every day in December and hit 30 of the 31 days. Over time, the awkwardness with friends abated, and Woltering found a community of similarly sober athletes. But his performance wasn\u2019t doing the about-face he\u2019d hoped for. <\/p>\n

The second month was the rough one. \u201cIt was like, \u2018Oh, now I feel every little pain in my body,\u2019\u201d he remembers. And then there was the FOMO. \u201cIt\u2019s like, for the rest of my life, am I missing out on all these beers and wine that I haven\u2019t tasted yet?\u201d <\/p>\n

It would take Woltering six months to get back to a place where he felt good. Yet he wasn\u2019t seeing the times he\u2019d hit in previous training peaks. That was frustrating. Giving up alcohol was supposed to be this golden ticket to better health. <\/p>\n

Finally, eight months into sobriety, things started to click. His times began to improve. Those better numbers bolstered his commitment to the sober path. And then, in October of 2022, three weeks before hitting a year of sobriety, Woltering won the Blue Ridge Ultra 50K. It was his first ultra victory since 2019. He celebrated with cake and ice cream. <\/p>\n

Woltering marked one year alcohol-free on Instagram, calling sobriety \u201cthe longest ultra of my life.\u201d But it\u2019s one he\u2019s committed to finishing. \u201cMy body feels better overall. I recover from bigger efforts easier,\u201d he says, adding that the mental benefits, like better focus, have been a help, too. <\/p>\n

\u201cAlcohol was very much part of what I was doing as a runner, but also socially. I had to get it in my head that I\u2019d be fine in social situations,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m still running. I\u2019m still doing things with friends\u2014but I\u2019m doing them and not drinking.\u201d <\/p>\n

And he\u2019s doing all of it better than before. <\/p>\n

\"beer Do you have a drinking problem?<\/p>\n

Alcohol impacts insight, so your drinking may not seem serious until it\u2019s well into that category, says Dr. Rabin. Answering yes to any of these questions may be a sign of an alcohol use disorder.<\/p>\n