From the Brickyard | Subject: Eliminate what breaks you down
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Brother, it’s time for some tough love.
That drink in your hand? It’s not harmless.
It’s not helping you unwind.
It’s not making you more social.
It’s killing your gains.
And if you’re not careful, it’s killing your edge—your drive, your discipline, your health, and your life.
For the Musclebuilder, it’s an enemy.
Alcohol Is a Drug—Stop Pretending It Isn’t
According to the World Health Organization:
“Alcohol is a toxic, psychoactive, and dependence-producing substance and has been classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer decades ago – this is the highest risk group, which also includes asbestos, radiation and tobacco. Alcohol causes at least seven types of cancer, including the most common cancer types, such as bowel cancer and female breast cancer. Ethanol (alcohol) causes cancer through biological mechanisms as the compound breaks down in the body, which means that any beverage containing alcohol, regardless of its price and quality, poses a risk of developing cancer.”
(WHO)
It might be legal. It might be everywhere. But that doesn’t make it good.
Not a single drop of alcohol is safe.
What’s More? It Tanks Testosterone & Destroys Sleep
Even a couple drinks drop testosterone—studies prove it (NIH).
To the Musclebuilder, testosterone is precious—we need every last bit.
It also shreds REM sleep—the stage where testosterone is produced and your body repairs (Sleep Foundation), further wrecking recovery.
Alcohol kills your physique.
It kills your edge.
It kills your vitality…
…the opposite of what musclebuilding is all about.
If You Must, Know This: You’re Choosing Weakness
One drink a day max. That’s a lot less than you think. Red wine also might be “less bad” thanks to resveratrol (Mayo Clinic).
But don’t kid yourself—less bad is still bad.
Red wine is simply poison wrapped in antioxidants.
The Musclebuilder 86’s This Poison
Alcohol slows you down.
It weakens your body.
It chips away at your edge.
It destroys your health.
Booze is for the lost—for men trying to escape a life that needs escaping from.
The Musclebuilder isn’t lost.
He doesn’t run.
He doesn’t numb.
He faces trauma, pain, and regret head on—and he comes out sharper, harder, and more dangerous.
Brickwall Rule: Nothing that crushes your health like this gets a pass. Nothing.
Drop the drink.
Pick up weights.
Pick up discipline.
Pick up the life that doesn’t need to be numbed.
Brick by brick.
-Brickwall
Sources
World Health Organization. (2023, January 4). No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health. World Health Organization – Regional Office for Europe. https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/04-01-2023-no-level-of-alcohol-consumption-is-safe-for-our-health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Alcohol and Your Health. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/about-alcohol-use/index.html
GBD 2016 Alcohol Collaborators. (2018). Alcohol use and burden for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2016: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. The Lancet, 392(10152), 1015–1035. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(18)31310-2/fulltext
Rachdaoui, N., & Sarkar, D. K. (2017). Pathophysiology of the Effects of Alcohol Abuse on the Endocrine System. Alcohol Research: Current Reviews, 38(2), 255–276. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28988577/
Emanuele, M. A., & Emanuele, N. V. (1998). Alcohol’s effects on male reproduction. Alcohol Health & Research World, 22(3), 195–201. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6761906/
Sleep Foundation. (2023). Alcohol and Sleep. Sleep Foundation. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/nutrition/alcohol-and-sleep
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2021). Red wine and resveratrol: Good for your heart? Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/in-depth/red-wine/art-20048281