Not for sure if this is the correct forum, but I saw this on another forum and was wondering what you guys felt on the topic?
Do you believe it seriously hampers your athletic performance by getting drunk once or twice every weekend, or just simply drinking every weekend?
Depending on how much, yes, it could have negative effects on your training and performances.
I haven’t found occasional drinking (definitely no more than 1x a week, generally 2x/month) out of competition to hamper my own training or others as long as it is kept in check. I’d say the relaxation aspects (and social aspects if you’re at parties) can help a bit even for some people–most people seem to take it too far though.
Yes.
I allow my athletes to go out and party and/or drink ever weekend, I tell them why they shouldn’t and they pay a price if they a hungover at a training session and worse if they don;t turn up because they are hungover. But in 6 months they have gone out twice, once was a 18th brithday and the other was end of exams.
For your viewing pleasure 
http://www.americanathleticinstitute.org/college/pureperformance.html
Our Pure Performance presentation illustrates the negative physical, psychological and physiological effects of drugs and alcohol on the athlete. This is successful because the presentation is designed to tap into not only the individual’s athletic motivation but also address the concept of team and collective responsibility all of which are in step with Hansen’s Social Ecology Theory. By showing scientific research done exclusively on top athletes and presented by people who have competed at the highest levels of sport, the impact is significant. Our research has uncovered some of the following:
* Drinking to intoxication can negate as much as fourteen days of training effect
* Training hormones are diminished for up to 96 hours following alcohol consumption (4 days)
* Drinking alcohol after training negates training effect
* Drinking alcohol after competition hinders recovery
* Residual effect of alcohol from elite athlete lab test shows effect on Heart Rate, Lactic Acid / Muscle Performance and Respiratory/ Ventilation levels.
* Muscle protein synthesis (repair of muscle fiber) is diminished, predominately in your fast twitch muscle fibers
* B vitamin deficiency resulting from diuretic effect of alcohol and subsequent dehydration affects recovery and conversion of hormone precursors into androgenic training hormones
* Reaction time can be affected even twelve hours after alcohol consumption.
* Players that drink are twice as likely to become injured
* Alcohol compromises an athletes already vulnerable immune system
* The associated residual effect of the alcoholic hangover has been shown to reduce athletic performance by 11.4%
Our presentation is designed to educate an athlete in order for them to obtain optimum athletic potential, however; the benefits will be felt off the field as well as on. These programs can help reduce injury, allow for quicker recovery, better muscle development, gained training effect; in brief, produce better athletes, better performances thus better teams. Off the field benefits would include improvements academically a decrease in disciplinary problems, criminal matters, accidents, deaths while simultaneously developing good will within the community as well as a positive public image at large.
If you are getting drunk once or twice a weekend, you are going nowhere in athletes!!
(How can anyone seriously ask the question?)
What about Lawerence Taylor.
And the following Gold medalists in weightlifting.
Naim - drank and smoked
Pyrros Dimas - smoked
David Rigert - smoked and drank
Taner Sagir - smokes
Many smoke/smoked between sets.
Not a good idea but obviously can be done. Didn’t half the NFL do coke in the 80’s it seems. Even while playing?
Not a good idea but they did it.
And the following Gold medalists in weightlifting.
Naim - drank and smoked
Pyrros Dimas - smoked
David Rigert - smoked and drank
Taner Sagir - smokes
Many smoke/smoked between sets.
Not a good idea but obviously can be done. Didn’t half the NFL do coke in the 80’s it seems. Even while playing?
Not a good idea but they did it.