I had 4 shots of crown and 4 shots of goldschlager in 10 minutes so you tell me
Why Do I Play Lights Out when I Drink?
- Thread starter rack'em zach'em
- Start date
They say alcohol and some drugs stimulate the creative side of your brain.rack'em zach'em said:
Sorta like a temporary cure for A.D.D.S,( attention deficit deficiency disorder syndrome) some of us may have it, but ignore it until we realize that we can't focus.
They said Edgar Allen Poe was an alcoholic and did some of his best work drunk.
On another note, the alcohol could be that drink of confidence.
rack'em zach'em said:
Ralph Greenleaf supposedly played his best when he was drinking alcohol.
I'm starting to drink a couple of beers every now and then before and during tournaments, trying to decide for myself if it helps or hurts. I see LOTS of players drinking while they gamble or compete in tournaments. The ones who continue to get seriously inebriated, don't make it to the finals.
It is up to each person to work out their own salvation.
(Buddha)
JoeyA
A. Tightness can lead to tentative, jerky strokes that leave you with no fluidity and no control over your shotmaking. That is why some players believe they play better after a drink or two. It relaxes them, and their stroke becomes more fluid. Unfortunately, their concentration also blurs, and when they keep drinking, their vision falters, their breath begins to stink, and they start mumbling incoherent and ineffective pickup lines. But I digress. It may be true that one drink can loosen you up. But the effects wear off quickly, and the answer is not to take a second drink. It just doesn't feel the same; you'll start to lose your focus, aim and coordination. The real reason players rely on alcohol, I think, is to get confidence. That is a little pathetic, though, and certainly not good for you in the long run. Liquid confidence is a poor substitute for the real thing, which is earned through practice and studying the game. When I have real confidence when I walk into the tournament arena, everyone in the room - the crowd and my opponent - knows it. They know I've come to play. You can't tell me that doesn't provide an advantage before the match even starts.
Jeanette Lee
Case closed Jeanette says
Jeanette Lee
Case closed Jeanette says
rack'em zach'em said:
What I find is that drinking doesn't increase your game; it decreases your memory on how poorly (or regularly) you played.
OTOH, I'm normally not without a beer in hand when I play tournaments, so what the hell do I know?
I joke about it, as some people on this board know me at tournaments, but a long tournament for me is about managing my back pain, and managing my beer drinking. So, my "A game," is more about the other things not so much about pool.
Fred
rack'em zach'em said:
You were drunk or you can hold your alcohol like a camel holds water.
That much alcohol in that short of a period of time and I would need a bed to sleep on. On second thought, I probably wouldn't even need a bed..
JoeyA
I once drank 4 shots of goldschlager (on a bet) in less than 30 minutes and it was the only time when I thought it was best to give my keys to my drunk buddy to drive me home.
Secaucus Fats
Banned
Johnnyt said:
LOL! Excellent advice.
Fats
I played some of the best pool of my life when I was brain fried.
Once, at a tournament that was sponsored by Miller Lite. Steve Mizerak put on a exhibition and it was free beer all night. I got totally roasted watching the exhibition and entered the tourney afterward. Won it and never missed a ball.
The next time, I was playing in the city bar table championships. I had been up for over 30 hours and again played solid and won it easily.
Being brain damaged sometimes helps. Keeps your brain from getting in the way from just relaxing and playing.
On the other side of the coin, over the years, a lot the players that I have seen using substances on a regular basis are either permanently brain damaged or dead now. Everything has its price.
Moderation, bud, moderation.
Stones
Once, at a tournament that was sponsored by Miller Lite. Steve Mizerak put on a exhibition and it was free beer all night. I got totally roasted watching the exhibition and entered the tourney afterward. Won it and never missed a ball.
The next time, I was playing in the city bar table championships. I had been up for over 30 hours and again played solid and won it easily.
Being brain damaged sometimes helps. Keeps your brain from getting in the way from just relaxing and playing.
On the other side of the coin, over the years, a lot the players that I have seen using substances on a regular basis are either permanently brain damaged or dead now. Everything has its price.
Moderation, bud, moderation.
Stones
To be honest, I have a good friend that plays much better when he has a few.. and then one more after that. Why? I assume because his brain is no longer thinking about missing, or what if I don't win, or what if I miss, or negative stuff like that. He just becomes a machine and goes from ball to ball. Personally I think its as simply as he plays pool now, he doesn't worry about his results.
I've seen that some people playing in this zone can be effective. Not sure if its the 'right' answer, but he seems to enjoy playing like that
I've seen that some people playing in this zone can be effective. Not sure if its the 'right' answer, but he seems to enjoy playing like that
Alcohol is a depressant drug. This means that it sedates the brain and central nervous system, (cns). It's action on the brain and cns is very much like that of transquilizors like Valium. It will make you feel more relaxed but using it regularly will make the drinker or pill taker dependent on it. Meaning that they depend on the drug to make them feel like they want to feel. This means that without the drug they are not able to control their thinking, or actions to the extent that they are capable of performing as they want to.
Randy was correct that it dulls anyalitical thinking so it is easier to relax and let your body do what it knows how to do. But.... BUT it also begins very shortly to impair physical activity.
People who want to stay clean and sober have to learn to do many things in life without the aid of alcohol and/or other drugs and that means learning to relax, to slow the mind and body, AT WILL, so that you are in control of your thinking and actions, rather than being dependent on a drug.
The answer to the opening question in this thread is; stop depending on the drug and learn to use deep breathing, muscle relaxation and positive thinking to achieve the state of mind you are wanting.
Randy was correct that it dulls anyalitical thinking so it is easier to relax and let your body do what it knows how to do. But.... BUT it also begins very shortly to impair physical activity.
People who want to stay clean and sober have to learn to do many things in life without the aid of alcohol and/or other drugs and that means learning to relax, to slow the mind and body, AT WILL, so that you are in control of your thinking and actions, rather than being dependent on a drug.
The answer to the opening question in this thread is; stop depending on the drug and learn to use deep breathing, muscle relaxation and positive thinking to achieve the state of mind you are wanting.
JimS said:
You know what Jim? I agree with whatyou say about depending on the drug (whatever that might be) simply because drug abuse can destroy your life and the life of others around you. I've seen it in others, particularly pool players because I have been around so many.
I have read, studied, practiced and learned much about deep breathing, a bit of yoga, meditation, muscle relaxation, hypnosis, positive thinking, positive affirmations and much much more and I only wonder how much it helps. I believe that some of of us are wired more differently than others and perhaps we need different stimuli to make us work the way we want.
I have seen some air-heads that couldn't make nail soup, play high speed pool without practicing. And I don't think that is actually just talent. It may be an absence of something. They're nerves and reflexes aren't any better or faster and they are not any more knowledgeable about pool than I am but they have the wherewithall to not think about much of anything and pot balls all night long.
Just like some people are chemically embalanced and need medicines to keep from being depressed, I am beginning to think that the same thing may apply to people playing pool.
Where's that 12 hour Sudafed?
Where's that Propananol?
I think I'm ready to get off this wagon.
JoeyA (must be losing it) Help me somebody, HELP ME!
I agree Joey.... on every point. We do appear to be wired differently and our brain chemicals do have individual.... shall we say.. abnormalities. There is no one answer for all of us which will aid is in all situations. All we can do is what you apparently have been doing, search whereever answers appear to be... which is also what I"ve been doing for the 25.5 years I've been off the sauce and for a few years before I got clean/sober. A lot of my drug use.. espceially the LSD and other "trip" drugs, were done in the spirit of investigation alternative ways of seeing reality.
Again, like you, each of the things I"ve tried did offer some help and cumulatively they made a big difference. A little of this a little of that.
Some days I can depend on my Inner Resources and some days I seem to at the mercy of the wind. And also like you, it sometimes bums me out and pisses me off (Miike/Mr. Wilson... we need a larger variety of smilies!)
Again, like you, each of the things I"ve tried did offer some help and cumulatively they made a big difference. A little of this a little of that.
Some days I can depend on my Inner Resources and some days I seem to at the mercy of the wind. And also like you, it sometimes bums me out and pisses me off
(Miike/Mr. Wilson... we need a larger variety of smilies!)
Exactly!
I too play better with a little booze in me. I don't like to drink in the daytime, but when I play a big tournament I might order a bucket for breakfast! I have on one or more occasion said to myself, "get out of the way brain". Playing a little faster helps too. Doesn't give the brain time to get in the way.
Ray
Stones said:
I too play better with a little booze in me. I don't like to drink in the daytime, but when I play a big tournament I might order a bucket for breakfast! I have on one or more occasion said to myself, "get out of the way brain". Playing a little faster helps too. Doesn't give the brain time to get in the way.
Ray
