At one time or another, most of us love a drink or two. It sets our mind at ease after a long day, and helps us to enjoy our evening. Obviously drinking ten or twelve cans of beer per day is going to be counterproductive to our goals. But a glass or two can actually be a very good thing.

There is a fair deal of emerging evidence that one glass each evening of red wine can help prevent some types of cancer, as well as heart disease. This doesn’t apply to 3, or 4, or 5 glasses per evening. And the same benefits to health can be delivered from a cup of grapes, with none of the associated risks. However, despite the advantages that red wine consumption delivers, the same benefits are delivered with a cup of grapes – without the problems associated with alcohol.

There are more negatives. Alcohol consumption leads to dehydration. Since the muscles are comprised of, and contain a great deal of water, it makes sense that consumption of alcohol can lead to flat muscles. If you use creatine, your situation can worsen. Creatine draws water out of the organs and into the muscles, which can lead to dehydration on its own. Coupled with a few glasses of alcohol, you can find yourself in a very dehydrated state.

Alcohol contains a great deal of empty calories. Walk into any bar in America, and you’ll likely find someone holding down a bar stool, holding a beer and sporting a nice 42-inch waistline. They call it ‘beer gut”, and its existence is backed by hundreds of years of many men and women wearing that exact thing. If you’re dieting, alcohol should be out, for the most part. If you’re looking to gain weight, there are certainly better ways to do it.

Drinking too much alcohol can give you a hangover, which means you’ll likely be waking up in a dehydrated state. If you even make it to the gym at all the next day, you’ll be flatter and weaker than ever before. Your performance will suffer, you’ll be more prone to injury, and you’ll essentially be just wasting your time by being there. It just doesn’t make good sense.

Assess your goals. If you wish to be in decent shape and have a good time drinking, have at it. You’ll have a good physique, and you can consume a few drinks. You’re on your own and at the mercy of genetics when it comes to any health effects. However, if you are serious about becoming a very good bodybuilder, you’re going to have to learn to leave the alcohol at home. You may feel a little funny drinking a whey shake or Diet Coke while your drinking buddies are doing shots, but you’ll always be welcome at the table as the designated driver. And you’ll always be in the best shape for those Saturday and Sunday morning workouts when your training partners who chose to drink are performing well below their abilities.

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