How much does drinking while playing effect you...

Originally posted by Mad Rook
What's a unit? I hope it isn't a case. 😛

Even if a unit is only a 12-ounce can, I'd have to say you're probably an alcoholic. I hope you kick it, good luck.

Edit - Oh, OK, I didn't know a unit is a British term (equal to about 80 percent of a 12 ounce can.) (I assumed about a 3.5 percent alcohol by volume. I'm not sure if that's what beer normally ha ...[text shortened]... unit is: One unit of alcohol is 10ml (1cl) by volume, or 8g by weight, of pure alcohol.

Sorry I've just finished dinner (yes with wine!) but I'm working on an average of about 10 units per bottle of wine, but the actual average currently is in a week:
at home :
6 bottles wine
3 bottles strong(ish) beer/cider
1 bottle vodka (750 ml)
out:
1 bottle wime
4 pints beer

Originally posted by Policestate
It reduces calculative ability, it reduces risk assessment capability, it affects spatial awareness (negatively), creates overconfidence in ones ability, it has a proven negative impact on decision making, reduces reactions and lowers inhibitions, which in chess translates to caring less about the consequences of decisions.

Anyone who says it improves their game is most certainly drunk. They probably say it improves their driving too? 🙂

well a couple of beers often do make me play better. better in blitz and better on CTS. and I'm not talking about it feeling like I played better, but a rating increase. a couple more though and it all goes straight to hell.

I feel more focused like davaniel. I suppose it's because the sedative effect makes me less responsive to distractions.

I love this! A thread dedicated to my username 😵

Drinking really affects my playing, but I mostly take 1 or 2 while playing online. Not OTB it affects my game too much.

However it is possible to be total drunk and almost out of the world and still win an online blitz game to an opponent a couple of hundreds points lower rated (yes i'm talking out of experience 🙂 )

- Edit -

Also check this link!
http://www.originelegeschenken.be/images/article_la/1571.jpg

Alcohol lowers my inhibitions. Which is bad, chesswise. But when I find myself distracted by issues off the board, a few drinks do help me focus more on the game.

At my club, I use drinking as sort of a taunt when I feel I'm obviously winning. It's like saying "you're boring me, you have no chance and I need a couple of drinks to cope with this game which is over for me. I don't need to be sober to finish you off, resign already!"

Give me half a fifth and I actually play a lot better!

Yo dudes....glad I have had my share and done with it. For me, 1 drink is too many and 1,000 is not enough. Sober 31 years in AA.
Whtnukle🙂

Originally posted by abnoxio
I can relate, I LOVE making stupid sacrifices even after a couple of beers.

here's what I do:
make stupid mistakes
go to the forum and publicly announce that (even though I'm 16) I was drunk at the time.
when my opponent demands a rematch to see if he really is better than me, I just screw up again... then go back to step two, etc.
ih8sens still hasn't figured out that I'm not that good...
come on, I hung a game in 8, how much worse can I get, right?

Originally posted by stevetodd
Sorry I've just finished dinner (yes with wine!) but I'm working on an average of about 10 units per bottle of wine, but the actual average currently is in a week:
at home :
6 bottles wine
3 bottles strong(ish) beer/cider
1 bottle vodka (750 ml)
out:
1 bottle wime
4 pints beer

That should say what I have cut down from, not the current average! I have now cut the vodka out and 3 bottles of wine so my weekly average is now:

4 bottles wine and 3 bottles (half litres) cider/beer

Next stage will be to cut out another bottle of wine.

Originally posted by stevetodd
That should say what I have cut down from, not the current average! I have now cut the vodka out and 3 bottles of wine so my weekly average is now:

4 bottles wine and 3 bottles (half litres) cider/beer

Next stage will be to cut out another bottle of wine.

http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org

Dear God, an alcoholic? Read my profile. Alcohol has made me a better dancer, a more creatice thinker and a great lover???? As for my chess, after a few glasses of wine both the black and white pieces merge into a weird shade of grey. Makes life so much more entertaining..

Originally posted by Mahout
http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org

I don't need to sign up to an organisation to cut down, considering 2 years ago I was getting through over 125 units a week. I was in denial then, I no longer think I am an alcaholic, just a heavy drinker. I am still on the right track to get onto my target of 30 units a week by January.

Edit: But out of curiousity I did the 12 question test on their site and passed, only scoring 3 yes's, not the 4 that indicates "you are probably in trouble with alcohol"

It's difficult to see how alcohol can actually help people to play better, though I suppose it might make a timid player play more actively or aggressively. I have to say many of my worst blunders on RHP have been caused by playing (or attempting to play) under the influence. I now try my best to keep away from the computer when I've had a few!

A propos the debate over units of alcohol in the UK, it has now been revealed that the British medical establishment's official 'limit' of 21 units per week (14 for a woman) is a completely arbitrary figure without any scientific or medical grounding.

Originally posted by stevetodd
.... the actual average currently is in a week:
at home :
6 bottles wine
3 bottles strong(ish) beer/cider
1 bottle vodka (750 ml)
out:
1 bottle wime
4 pints beer

Originally posted by 29inchlegs
.... Alcohol has made me a better dancer, a more creatice thinker and a great lover???? As for my chess, after a few glasses of wine both ...[text shortened]... black and white pieces merge into a weird shade of grey. Makes life so much more entertaining..

Originally posted by stevetodd

Thats about my consumption is a year.

Originally posted by 29inchlegs

Alcohol makes you none of those things.
(1) You fall over whilst dancing and look a drunken idiot;
(2) Alcohol destroys brain cells and with it creativity. It is impossible to solve complex problems whilst drunk;
(3) Too much drink and your suffer erectile dysfunction which pretty much puts paid to being a lover and you end up with the ugliest slag in the bar that no one else wants and probably catch AIDS.

All alcohol does is lower your inhibitions and increase your self confidence making you think you are better at all these things when the reality is you are not.

Originally posted by Northern Lad
It's difficult to see how alcohol can actually help people to play better, though I suppose it might make a timid player play more actively or aggressively. I have to say many of my worst blunders on RHP have been caused by playing (or attempting to play) under the influence. I now try my best to keep away from the computer when I've had a few!

A pro ...[text shortened]... for a woman) is a completely arbitrary figure without any scientific or medical grounding.

Yeah they used to say 28 units (for men) but revised it

Originally posted by stevetodd
I don't need to sign up to an organisation to cut down, considering 2 years ago I was getting through over 125 units a week. I was in denial then, I no longer think I am an alcaholic, just a heavy drinker. I am still on the right track to get onto my target of 30 units a week by January.

Edit: But out of curiousity I did the 12 question test on their si ...[text shortened]... d, only scoring 3 yes's, not the 4 that indicates "you are probably in trouble with alcohol"

Alcoholics Anonymous (from the limited info I have) seems to be good for people who have reached a point of realisation that their life if being ruined by drink and there is no other way than complete sobriety - something most drinkers fear. What it seems more difficult to reach is what I call functioning Alcoholics, who are addicted, who do drink too much, who take risks (as in driving while drunk or unprotected sex or climbing on bridges) who damage there relationships etc with drink but still hold down a job and give the outward appearance of being OK. Quite a few people I've seen reassure themselves by saying something such as: " oh but I never have blackouts" or "I never get up in the morning and have a drink, no way - that would be a real alcholic" as if that one question alone was the litmus test of an alcoholic. I reckon the question of weather or not someone is an alcoholic is not quite so clear cut.


The best question I found was: "Is it costing you more than money?" And I suppose if it was costing you just the money plus a couple of chess games then perhaps that's not so serious...but relationships, health, friends, jobs, promotions or anything that you value in your life then it's worth taking notice.

I relate to drink problems by comparison with cigarettes...although not a smoker now I had many years of quitting, starting again, cutting down, just smoking cigars, just smoking when I'm out, only smoking other peoples and so on...but all roads returned to a pack a day. Total abstention was the only thing that worked for me in the long term. But I wouldn't dare to be prescriptive about what would be right for someone else...for cigarettes or drink or drugs...only to share a few thoughts (as above) and wish them good luck in finding what works for them.