The Uneducated PT Podcast - Episode 108 The Impact of Alcohol: Why We’ve Let the Pendulum Swing Too Far

Episode Date: August 18, 2025

In this solo episode, I dive into one of the most polarising topics in health and fitness right now: alcohol. We’ve gone from glamorising nights out and “work hard, play hard” culture, to completely demonising alcohol in the name of hustle, optimisation, and wellness. But the truth — like most things — lives somewhere in the middle. I break down:The real impact of alcohol on health, performance, and recoveryWhy the “all or nothing” approach rarely worksHow hustle culture has pushed the pendulum too far toward shame and guiltWhat a balanced, realistic relationship with alcohol actually looks likeWhy nuance matters more than fearmongeringThis isn’t about saying alcohol is harmless, and it’s not about preaching total abstinence either. It’s about stepping back, questioning extremes, and understanding how alcohol fits into the bigger picture of health, happiness, and living well. If this episode gets you thinking, make sure to follow along on Spotify, subscribe on YouTube, and share it with someone who might need to hear a more balanced take.

Hello and welcome back to another solo episode of the uneducated PT with me, your host, Carla Rourke. Today is episode 108, I think. And I thought I'd talk about the role of alcohol in society because I think it's something that, you know, there's always, there's always controversy around this topic. And, you know, people arguing online and just not, just not seeing the conversation and, you know, not having a broad perspective of the whole conversation or holding the conversation. in two hands. And I think especially in Ireland, it's kind of a kind of a funny one because obviously Ireland used to have a huge drinking culture, right? Like that's what the Irish are known for is drinking and drinking in excess.

And that's definitely changed over the years. Like if you look at the research, we're not even in the top of EU countries in terms of alcohol drank. And if you look as well in terms of the younger generations, less and less people are drinking alcohol and I think there's this big huge demonisation over alcohol as well and there's this demonisation over over going out and look I'm not saying that that's a good thing or a bad thing that people are drinking less I think it is new it's nuanced and it's going to be completely different for each person but I can only like talk from the perspective of my own experience with alcohol and we're trying

to navigate alcohol while also like pursuing other goals and hopefully hopefully that this this will help someone and just have more nuanced kind of kind of look at their relationship with alcohol because I think whenever we're trying to change a behavior because I notice a lot of people out there who will be like oh I wanted to stay in at the weekend I was you know real good um all week I was doing all my training sessions and I was working hard and I was being productive and all this stuff and then I went out at the weekend even though I said I wasn't going to um and you know I had a great time but now I feel guilty about it. And I think this is the,

this is the biggest problem that people have. It's like we always tend to, you know, focus on the downside of any behavior. Whenever we're trying to change a behavior, we always focus on the downside. And that just doesn't work. From my experience of helping people with behavior change, it does not work.

Like, yes, we know that alcohol causes weight gain. Like, we know that you're drinking empty calories. We also know that alcohol causes cravings. So, you know, you wake up the next morning and you're like, I need a fry, I need a takeaway. And, you know, it's, it's a lot harder to, to make better quality decisions in terms of your nutrition and your diet. Like, that's, that's completely normal.

That will happen. You know, we know that alcohol can cause people to, you know, get into issues with, you know, the relationships that they have. Like, we, we get drunk and we get into stupid arguments with the people we love or our friends, our family, our partner, or whatever it is. Like, so, you know, if you can't handle your dream, it may impact them relationships and that is obviously something that you need to look at. But even if you can handle your drink and even if you can go out and have a great night and

you know, not, you know, have the fare the next morning or anything like that, you know, you're still not going to be as productive. You're not going to be as productive in work. You know, I know today like it's Monday. I feel groggy. I don't feel like usually I would have trained by now. I haven't. You know, I woke up on Sunday after having a great night on Saturday. I got to see my friends all my friends were out was a great night the atmosphere was great everyone was in a great mood everyone was up on tables dancing and having fun and the music was great and like it was a 10 out night out really really enjoyed it but i still went to bed late and i woke up the next day absolutely dying i had to get up and take a class um and you know i my i got a flat tire as well which didn't

help and i just had a banging headache and i just wanted to go so i just got i just jumped in a taxi and went back to my and stayed there for the day because that's what they needed to do. So it wasn't very productive on the Sunday. And this causes people to have shame and they think they have the lack of willpower and they're not being productive. And we have all this pressure from society now like that we need to be kind of productive 24-7 and doing things. And if we're not, like we look at other people's Instagram and, you know,

they've already got up and gone for a run and did a fucking ice bat and, you know, read 10 pages of a book and, you know, had their Greek yogurt and fruit. and then you're just waking up absolutely hanging and you're like oh my god you know i've wasted the day so there is all that and you know for me personally i don't think that you can change a behavior um by just looking at the downside and just you know creating shame around it because realistically if you keep engaging in a behavior there's a reason for and the reason you probably keep going out is because you have a great time when you're out and you enjoy it you enjoy having fun and you enjoy spending time with your friends and there's absolutely nothing wrong with

that the problem is you've been conditioned to believe that there's something wrong with that but like telling you that you shouldn't want something and then continuing to do it that's an issue that creates this shame cycle that you can't get out of um you know and if I look at my own life and my own personal experiences anytime like I love a drink I love having a drink with friends but anytime I found it easy not to drink it's because I had something on that was more important to me and and I think that's a better way to look at it's like yeah, you can look at all the things that impacts your life by drinking alcohol, or you can look at all the other things

that you wanna focus on instead of alcohol, which is probably a healthier mindset to be in. And it means it's not that like, you're not having alcohol because it's bad for it. It's like you're not having alcohol because there's something else that's more important to you. Like I know when I'm prepping for like a public talk that I'm doing, I want to have a fresh head the next morning

so I can, you know, prepare my notes and practice and edit and stuff like that. Like, and I can't do that if I'm severely hung over. Or if I, when I used to play football, like, I would never drink the night before a match because, like, I didn't, I wouldn't enjoy the football match then. So it was easy for me to stay in on the Friday night because I had some, or the Saturday night because I had something to look forward to on the Sunday. And then we would go for points maybe after with the team. Or like if I'm going somewhere where I'm excited, where I want to be fresh the next morning, like if I'm going to the airport to go away somewhere or, you know, going on a long, drive somewhere it's like yeah it's easy for me to say no to the alcoholic drinks on the saturday night or the friday night because i'm going to be doing something uh really really enjoyable

on the sunday or i have something that's just more important uh like of a goal that's that's more important to me then um and again that can come in waves like it doesn't have to be every single weekend it's like you know maybe i'm i have a you know a public talk in six weeks well then for the next six weeks I'm going to kind of knuckle down and focus on that project rather than going out every weekend and that's that's completely fine and like I'm happy to do that and then when I have less things on and I'm like you know what I would love to go out for for a drink with with a friend that's great as well then and I'm I look forward to it's like when you do something all the time me and novelty wears off and you actually don't enjoy it as much when something

every now and again and like that's the um what is it the um you know if you do if you do Even a good thing becomes a bad thing if you do it too much essentially. And it's the same with anything. Like if I had pizza every night, I'd stop looking forward to having pizza on a Friday. So, you know, less is more sometimes. Now I understand like there's nuance to this because like there are people who like can't have a drink. Like if they have one drink then like, you know, they it is ingrained than them. They have, you know, addiction issues and, you know, that's like I've seen.

in it firsthand, you know, what alcoholism can do with the families. So like, obviously there is, you know, you have to look at this on an individual basis, that there are people who just cannot have a drink that, you know, they are addicts. And then you have some people who just don't want to have a drink. And that's never been an issue for them. They can go out and meet their friends and don't need to have an alcoholic drink and go home and happy to get up the next day and do their thing. And like, that's absolutely fine too. But I do think that most people are like me, where they live somewhere in the middle that like you know they don't have a have a problem with alcohol but it's trying to find that balance of like you know not taking it too far and being able to still be

productive and still have other priorities in their life but also you know you do like to go out and enjoy yourself and like it is great when you are out and I think most people live in that middle and I think that's why it's important to have that kind of nuanced conversation that yeah alcohol doesn't really have any like particularly particular health benefits other than you know it can help people to have a great time which is actually important as well and I think the problem is that most people often project their personal relationship with alcohol whether that is positive whether that is negative onto everyone else and I think that's an issue and we see that all the line on or we see that all the time on social media now it's like this cultural pendulum swing like for a long time

it was like going out and drinking, you know, that was tied to like social, fun and, you know, being successful out with your friends, all that stuff. And now we have this like hustle culture and wellness space. Like, and it's just the glorification is just flipped. It's like staying in and grinding hard and avoiding alcohol gets framed as the, the only serious or productive way to live, which is, you know, just ridiculous. Like, you know, there's that young kid on social media who he's such a cringe and you can feel that kind of moral superiority

he thinks he has because he doesn't have a drink and he goes out running but even though he needs the validation from the entire internet that he's out of five in the morning running instead of having a drink and he's like look how great I am you know look how better I am than everyone else please validate me

which like it's just embarrassing and so we have these people who think like you know people who drink alcohol are undisciplined and unserious and you know not serious about their goals and then you know, them people who abstain from alcohol, they're disciplined, they're high performers, they're enlightened, they know what they're doing, which is just a ridiculous simplification of

life in itself. Like if you look at human achievement, like it's way too complex to be reduced down to whether you drink or not. Like history is full of people who love the drink that were really, really successful. Like Winston Churchill, Hemingway, Picasso, they all love the gargle. And, you know, they had bigger legacies than, you know, you know, you ever will getting up a 5 a.m. which are fucking cold plunging 5k run routine. But on the other side as well, there's plenty of sober people who have lived remarkable lives. So like this is where the this is where my problem is when people, you know, just reduce it down to alcohol is good or bad. You know, when like being periods of sobriety can be

amazing, can be really, really valuable. And also going out and having. having a drink with your mates and enjoying your life and stop being so stuck up, that can also be amazing as well. But again, it's context dependent. It's dependent on the person. But like hustle culture has just swapped like hustle culture has just swapped for drink culture. Like it's one form of glorification for another. Instead of bragging about how late you stay now, now people are bragging about how early they woke up, which is absolutely ridiculous. So, you know, we have to understand that, you know, I know the word balance is, is used all the time, but like, you know, sometimes the joy of catching up over a point does outweigh the downsides of it.

When you recognize that, like, connection itself is health. And I know this is what I talk about all the time is about social connection, because it's, it's very, very true. And like, social connection doesn't have to come from just going out and having a point with your friends. There's loads of way that you can connect, loads of ways in which you can. can connect with people. But, you know, there is probably nothing better than a sunny day in a beer garden, having a pint with your friend and just chatting and laughing. And, you know, the natural stress release that you get from being around your friends,

like there is nothing like it. And sometimes that is worth the hangover. Sometimes that is worth feeling like crap or a little bit sluggish on the Sunday or the Monday and maybe not being as productive. you know, especially if you are productive, a lot of the times throughout the week. And like if you can still get up and get your work done, I think it's probably, probably needed.

And, you know, as adults, we meet up less and less. You know, people have jobs and families and social media replaces in person time and we think because we're in a WhatsApp with people that were close to them, but you haven't actually seen them in the last four weeks. You know, so like as much as you don't need to go to a bear garden to catch up with your friends.

You know, sometimes, you know, it's a Friday night. Everyone has an hour or two off. You know, getting to sit down and having a beer. You know, the trade-offs can be worth it. Not all the time, but they can be worth it. You know, and since 2005, like over 2,100 Irish pubs have shut their doors, which is nearly one quarter of all pubs across the country. Like the stats show it's like two pubs are closing per week in Ireland.

And you have to understand that pubs aren't just a place for people to get drunk. Like these are the turd spaces that we are losing in society. You know, third spaces are places where people will meet to have a chat and foster community, you know, and host local events, you know, and, you know, combat isolation that people have. And, you know, people can go for christenings and weddings and birthdays and just celebrations of other people's lives. And like that is so, so important. And yes, alcohol is tied to that. And yes, alcohol isn't always, you know, the best decision for people, especially when they take it too far.

But it's like everything. It's like the damage is in the dosage. And the dosage isn't just that night. It's like the consistency throughout the years of whether this is hindering or help in your life. But I just think it's funny that we have so many health and fitness gurus who just can't understand the concept of not demonize an alcohol. the way, you know, you say not demonise and fuel. Like you always say you shouldn't demonise sugar, you shouldn't demonise carbohydrates or you shouldn't demonise whatever it is.

It's like because you understand that everything can fit in moderation. But yet you can't take that same logic for a couple of points. Like to say that we don't need alcohol to enjoy friendships and to enjoy connection, yes, that is true. But it does make it better sometimes. Just like, I don't know. need to have a pizza when I go out with my friends. I could fucking order a salad. But I'm going to have the pizza because I want to have the pizza because I'm going to enjoy the pizza.

And because I'm not going to have the pizza all the time, it makes it that much more special. And, you know, we have to remember that just like food isn't just about nutrients, it's about experience. Sometimes so is a couple of points with your friends. So I think if you're waking up on Monday and you're a little bit groggy and you're a little bit tired and, you know, you're a, you're reflecting on the decisions you've made in terms of maybe you shouldn't had that many drinks and maybe you do feel a little bit crappy today. I would also consider the other side of like, you know, did you have a good night? Did you enjoy, you know, spending time with your friends? And, you know, if you did and it's not something that you do often, like, you know, accept them

downsides for the upsides as well. And, you know, just have a more nuanced view of, you know, you know it's not that alcohol is good or bad um it's you know it's it's it's what's what's the downstream impact from that and sometimes it is you know maybe i've gained a couple of pounds maybe i feel a little bit more sluggish maybe i'm not as productive or maybe it's you know what i really needed that night out i really needed to let off some steam i really needed to catch up with some friends because you know i haven't done that in a while and life has been getting the better of me lately and i've been focusing on too much on on work and I've been focusing too much on the family and I haven't I haven't given any time for myself.

So you know, maybe that maybe that night out was needed. So look, that's my thoughts on alcohol. I don't think it's good or bad. I think, you know, like anything else, we have to look at this through a broad lens and look at the whole picture over time and see is this helping or hindering the life that I want to live. And for me, I don't want to live. And for me, I don't want to live of a life where, you know, I'm staying in on a Friday and a Saturday because I'm so engrossed in my goals that I am letting my relationships slide out of my life and not taking time to go and see a friend. And sometimes that will be going on having a pint. Sometimes that'll be going to the cinema. Sometimes that's a coffee and a walk. Sometimes that's going for a sea swim. Sometimes that's

doing a workout. But life is, you know, full of different experience. and I don't think we should shut ourselves off from them experiences. So hope you enjoyed that. I hope that made a little bit of sense and I will see you on the next one.