When taking any drugs, prescriptive or not, one thing that doctors will tell you to abstain from is alcohol. Sometimes, they don’t even need to say it because the warning label on the medication warns against taking alcohol. Steroid is a drug and is no different. Alcohol and steroid do not mix very well together.
The reason behind alcohol avoidance when on steroids can best be understood when we know what steroids do. Steroids mimic hormones in our body that are normally produced or secreted by the endorcrine glands. In normal bodily processes, the hormones go directly into our blood to regulate our development and growth. A problem in the endocrine system can disrupt and affect sleep cycle and mood, sexual funtions, reproduction, and metabolism, among others. Since the hormones’ transport system is our blood, alcohol in the bloodstream can be a problem. The prescribed steroid will not work as effectively and, worse, trigger serious side effects.
In the case of anabolic steroids, what is being synthetically produced is testosterone. It is the hormone that can repair tears in the muscle tissues. During workouts and physical exertions, these micro-tearing happen. Testosterone not only rebuilds the tears but also builds stronger fibers that add mass to the muscles. Continuous workout mean repeated tiny tears of the muscle tissues being rebuild with stronger fiber. Overtime, the overcompensation of testosterone’s rebuilding muscles tissues with stronger fiber each time make the muscle bigger, stronger, and more defined. Supplementing the natural testosterone of the body with synthetics doubles the process. Anabolics stimulate and also increase protein synthesis which eventually make muscles recover better every time.
During muscle workout, it is not only the testostestone that helps. In fact, every major orgain the body go hyper. The heart pumps more blood, the cells and tissues need water to replenish those that were lost, and the body needs more food than ever. Alcohol deters these organized system because it numbs and dehydrates the muscles which needs to get repaired and rehydrated fast. More alcohol means a greater feeling of numbness which slows down what the hormones should be doing to orchestrate how the body is mainstained. This is the reason why bodybuilders are careful not to disrupt their routing and regimen with alcohol and bad nutrition. They know how their body needs all the help it can get. Muscle recovery is taxing enough for the body, and having supplements to increase how much the muscles can take is twice as hard. However, the body should not produce more hormones than it needs, else there will be hormonal imbalance. When a bodybuilder takes a break from anabolics, the body is then left with high levels of estrogen. To correct this, they take a different drug. The sudden change decreases energy and stamina. During this time, alcohol is more damaging because it produces estrogen which the body has too much already, and decreases testosterone which the body has stopped producing normally.
Taking alcohol can disrupt bodily functions even to those who do not take any drugs. However, normal intake is okay because the liver helps in breaking and eliminating harmful toxins. This is done after a good rest and sleep. However, if you are taking alcohol while taking a steroid too, this can be very stressful for the liver to handle.
The essential point is that our body can only do so much. If we want to sustain a lifestyle where we need a strict regimen of training and nutrition, then don’t put alcohol in the mix.
