Carb consumption and desire for alcohol

[joe1500]

I’ve been a social drinker for quite some time now with beer as my favorite years ago and these days it is red wines. I’ve enjoyed it over the years but have noticed what might be a correlation between the amounts of carbs consumed vs. the desire for alcohol. Specifically the lower the carbs I consume the less desire I have to drink. When I’m on a good eating program the most I can tolerate is a glass or two of wine and then I grow tired of it. Most times I won’t even consider it as it becomes extremely less appealing when the diet is good. Has anyone noticed anything similar? Also, is anyone aware of any studies on carb consumption vs. alcohol desire as it could be the answer for those who struggle with drinking?

Joe

[red2680]

I don't think "desire" is the key to a drinking problem.
Being a drinker way beyond social, it was never an appetite as much as a crutch. The desire for it was never motivated by a physical craving, but by my state of mind.
As a happily sober LCer I can tell you my tolerance is zero. I feel tipsy at the sight of a glass where I used to drink constantly and never really caught a buzz.
I choose not to drink now due to my WOE, but it is a choice that I must pay attention to since my WOE hasn't changed the reasons why I drank. When an upset occurs my tendancy is to want a drink. My WOE is where I found the strength to quit.
Of course... all of this is IMHO!!!

[DrH]

I actually told my husband last night that I think low carbing is a great solution for alcoholoics! I drank on the weekends and now, I have no desire. Jill



I’ve been a social drinker for quite some time now with beer as my favorite years ago and these days it is red wines. I’ve enjoyed it over the years but have noticed what might be a correlation between the amounts of carbs consumed vs. the desire for alcohol. Specifically the lower the carbs I consume the less desire I have to drink. When I’m on a good eating program the most I can tolerate is a glass or two of wine and then I grow tired of it. Most times I won’t even consider it as it becomes extremely less appealing when the diet is good. Has anyone noticed anything similar? Also, is anyone aware of any studies on carb consumption vs. alcohol desire as it could be the answer for those who struggle with drinking?

Joe

[Nancy LC]

There does seem to be evidence linking celiac disease and alcoholism.

[dina1957]

I’ve been a social drinker for quite some time now with beer as my favorite years ago and these days it is red wines. I’ve enjoyed it over the years but have noticed what might be a correlation between the amounts of carbs consumed vs. the desire for alcohol. Specifically the lower the carbs I consume the less desire I have to drink. When I’m on a good eating program the most I can tolerate is a glass or two of wine and then I grow tired of it. Most times I won’t even consider it as it becomes extremely less appealing when the diet is good. Has anyone noticed anything similar? Also, is anyone aware of any studies on carb consumption vs. alcohol desire as it could be the answer for those who struggle with drinking?

Joe
Ditto for me, if I cut carbs too low, I want a drink. I think alcohol is a carb without insulin reponse, so it's one or another. I don't like sweets, but enjoy wine with dinner. But I stop at 3 onces, or I will get too tipsy. Eating LC decreased my tolerance to alcohol.

[AL W]

I miss beer. I have the odd low carb beer once in a while but it's not the same.
I've had to trade in six packs in order to move towards getting a six pack.
AL

[joe1500]

I miss beer. I have the odd low carb beer once in a while but it's not the same.
I've had to trade in six packs in order to move towards getting a six pack.
AL


Al,

That gives me an idea for a T-shirt!! :)

[cs_carver]

the "struggle" side of the equation is generally more with "not drinking" rather than with drinking. Drinking is easy. Quitting is easy. Staying quit is the trick.

There is a lot of material in the world about providing nutritional support for recovering / abstaining alcoholics. Some of it is practiced in some treatment centers. Many of the people with the worst alcohol problems are long past caring about any kind of diet, so they'd be hard to reach.

I'd be curious about a study correlating actual blood alcohol levels with LC eating. People report "feeling it more," but is that actually reflected in higher blood alcohol levels or a different reaction to a smaller amount? The law cares about the one, but the other is equally dangerous to the greater society.

[AL W]

Just an idea but ....i know when i begin again on low carbs I get rid of numerous pounds of water. Does this , then, mean that the reduced volume of fluid left inside you leave that much less to dilute the alcohol and enhance its potency?