Why do people play better with a buzz?

infest

infest

Banger
Silver Member
I've heard it a million times. "I play better with at little buzz." Why is that? Because it's the same for me. When I get a little buzz I play a lot better. But there's that small grey area. Too much and I suck. None I'm ok.

With that said. What make people play better with a little buzz?
 
Drinking does two things for me.

1 - relaxation
2 - Shuts down your inter-monologue (my chatty cathy) The worst thing you can do to your stroke is talk to yourself while you are shooting. You need to see and feel the shot not talk to yourself.

You can work on both those things while sober though and it will get better. I don't have as big a difference in my play now.
 
I play about the same when drunk, but I'm a D-player so..That being said, I think it helps me relax, but screws up my decisions. That about balances out so the level is the same but the game is different.
 
Ask a professional pool player and you'll get the true answer.
I will wager that almost all will tell you that no booze is good news. :smile:
 
Tramp Steamer said:
Ask a professional pool player and you'll get the true answer.
I will wager that almost all will tell you that no booze is good news. :smile:
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In no way am I implying that booze will make you better. I know that pros don't drink while playing. But for a lot of us bangers that is the case. And I'm not talking The Hustler type of drinking. I'm talking (for me) 3 or 4 beers. Any thing past that and I couldn't hit the side of the barn if I was trying to.
 
I like the story McGoorty told in his book, it was along the lines of he was playing a game and losing and went into the can and took a few nips off the bottle and came back from behind to win. So he started doing it all the time and before you know it he was over doing it and often couldnt even see the balls let alone hit them. lol
 
One time I was playing so poorly on Jeannette Lee's home turf, I opted for a much-needed time-out, and decided to take a few "sips" in the back.

When I came back, I fired in this table-length 3 railer with extreme inside with perfect shape!!

I really thought she'd be impressed and say something like "That was totally AWESOME! You have to show me how you did that!"

Boy,was I wrong...all she said was "HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET IN MY HOUSE!!"




I decided not to stalk her anymore. :mad:
 
For some people there's muscle relaxation. For some others when they drink they can only focus on one thing. It puts blinders up so to speak. (Major reason it's bad to drive) however than can help people focus on one thing. For brief periods of time it can slightly help eye sight.

All of these are reasons why people think they play better "buzzed."
I have met tons of people who have said this. I am yet to meet a single person that actually does play better after drinking. However, if its talked about before hand it can have a bit of a placebo effect, though its usually in reverse where they just make themselves play bad to start.

People drinking usually seem to care about loseing less. But that's a good thing since they almost always do.
 
infest said:
I've heard it a million times. "I play better with at little buzz." Why is that? Because it's the same for me. When I get a little buzz I play a lot better. But there's that small grey area. Too much and I suck. None I'm ok.

With that said. What make people play better with a little buzz?
Click to expand...
Cause they don't over think crap and just let loose and play.The only drawback is knowing
when to stop.That one drink that puts you over the edge,makes your game go
down the toilet along with your dinner.
Nerves hurt a wide margin of pool players come crunch time.I've seen many
guys practice like champs but when they actually have to play in competition,
its like watching a different person.
 
They don't, they only think they do. While one may relax with a drink or two, after a while it becomes more than one or two and it takes more drinks to relax, on and on. Again, most people only think they play better. And yes, I speak from experience.
 
That's like asking why girls get prettier the more you drink. Wake up with one in the morning and you'll realize they didn't. You just thought they did.

That being said, I'm sure there are people that benefit from 1 or 2 that settles the nerves a little bit. But beyond that, it reverts to the pretty girl principle.
 
Alcohol is related to at least two things when you are playing pool.

1. Alcohol is a dis-inhibitor at moderate levels (it helps to loosen emotional controls).
2. As little as two ounces will impair fine motor control.

So there is a trade off. If you play better with alcohol in your system you do so with some loss of fine motor control. It follows that people who play better with the use of alcohol have some sort of emotional control problem that is treated with alcohol. While most people don't see it, alcohol is a form of medication – self prescribed for anxiety reduction. And like all medications it has side effects.

Most people (90%?) will tell you they are more sensitive than the average person. It is reasonably well known that about 70% of the people in our culture have anxiety related problems. So it is no wonder that many people find alcohol useful.

If you really do play better with alcohol in your system you should see this as an indicator that you need to in some way address the root cause of your need for anxiety reduction medication.
 
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seven_7days said:
One time I was playing so poorly on Jeannette Lee's home turf, I opted for a much-needed time-out, and decided to take a few "sips" in the back.

When I came back, I fired in this table-length 3 railer with extreme inside with perfect shape!!

I really thought she'd be impressed and say something like "That was totally AWESOME! You have to show me how you did that!"

Boy,was I wrong...all she said was "HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET IN MY HOUSE!!"



I decided not to stalk her anymore. :mad:
Click to expand...


If I got into her house, I would head straight to her bedroom, not the pool room:grin: :grin: :grin:
 
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