Alcohol after a workout: what the recovery studies measured

What alcohol did to muscle protein synthesis

Parr and colleagues ran a randomized crossover in eight physically active men: leg extensions (8 sets of 5 at 80% of one-repetition maximum), 30 minutes of cycling at 63% of peak power, and ten 30-second intervals at 110%. At the end of exercise and again at 4 hours they drank 25 g of whey protein, that protein plus alcohol, or 25 g of maltodextrin plus alcohol. The trial's alcohol dose was 1.5 g per kg, which the paper calls 12±2 standard drinks.

Myofibrillar protein synthesis rose above rest in every condition (about 29% to 109%). Versus protein alone it was 24% lower with alcohol plus protein and 37% lower with alcohol plus carbohydrate. At 2 hours, mTOR phosphorylation at serine 2448 was higher with protein than with either alcohol condition. The authors concluded that alcohol suppressed the anabolic response and may impair recovery or adaptation.

Duplanty and colleagues tested squats in 10 trained men and 9 trained women, alcohol after one session and placebo after the other. In the men, mTOR and S6K1 phosphorylation at 3 hours was higher on placebo. That gap was not found in the women. The authors wrote that alcohol could hamper adaptations by reducing anabolic signaling, at least in men. The abstract gives no gram dose.

Sources: Parr et al., 2014: Alcohol and post-exercise myofibrillar protein synthesis; Duplanty et al., 2017: Alcohol and resistance-exercise mTORC1 signaling

Muscle function is a separate endpoint

Haugvad and colleagues tested nine recreationally trained people (eight men, one woman) after squats, leg presses, and knee extensions. Ethanol came 1 to 2.5 hours later: 0.6 g per kg for the woman or 0.7 g per kg for the men, 1.2 or 1.4 g per kg, or none. Force fell 13% to 15% after lifting. By 24 hours after ethanol, voluntary force, stimulated force, and squat jumps had recovered; the no-alcohol trial had not. The high dose raised cortisol and lowered the free testosterone-to-cortisol ratio. Neither dose adversely affected muscle function. The authors said that hormone shift could mean longer-term harm.

Lakicevic's 2019 review of 12 studies found that alcohol after resistance exercise did not seem to change creatine kinase, heart rate, lactate, blood glucose, estradiol, sex hormone-binding globulin, leukocytes, cytokines, C-reactive protein, or calcium. Force, power, endurance, soreness, and perceived exertion were described as unmodified. Cortisol seemed higher. Testosterone, plasma amino acids, and muscle protein synthesis rates were lower.

Barnes's review of male athletes says the effect depends on timing, the gap before the next session, injury, and dose. Doses athletes often drink may alter immunoendocrine function, blood flow, and protein synthesis, so recovery from muscle injury may be impaired. About 0.5 g per kg, the review says, is unlikely to affect most aspects of recovery. That is not a target.

Sources: Haugvad et al., 2014: Ethanol, muscle function, and testosterone/cortisol; Lakicevic, 2019: Alcohol and recovery after resistance exercise; Barnes, 2014: Alcohol, performance, and recovery in male athletes; Parr et al., 2014: Alcohol and post-exercise myofibrillar protein synthesis

Hydration when the drink contains alcohol

Shirreffs and Maughan gave 0%, 1%, 2%, and 4% alcohol after exercise dehydration of 2.01% ± 0.10% of body mass. Drinking started 30 minutes later, lasted 60 minutes, and replaced 150% of the loss (2,212 ± 153 mL). Six-hour urine did not differ statistically. At 4%, blood and plasma volume did not rise significantly above the dehydrated level. Up to 2% matched alcohol-free. The authors called the diuretic effect negligible for a dilute drink after this deficit.

NIAAA is describing alcohol itself: it suppresses vasopressin, urine rises, and mild dehydration likely adds thirst, fatigue, and headache. That pathway is on does alcohol dehydrate you. The same page says added electrolytes have not been shown to change hangover severity. Formulas stay on electrolytes for a hangover and Pedialyte vs Gatorade.

Sources: Shirreffs and Maughan, 1997: Alcohol and rehydration after exercise; Hangovers: causes, remedies, and safety

Timing, and whether a workout helps a hangover

Parr dosed alcohol immediately and at 4 hours, Shirreffs from 30 minutes, and Haugvad at 1 to 2.5 hours. No clock in these studies makes alcohol neutral. Cederbaum notes higher alcohol metabolism when fed than when fasted. On exercise, that review calls the literature unclear: most studies report a small rise in elimination rate, perhaps from body temperature or catecholamines.

NIAAA says there is no hangover cure other than time, and that coffee, a shower, or a morning drink will not cure one. Exercise is not listed as a cure. Symptoms peak as blood alcohol returns to about zero and can last 24 hours or longer. Attention, decision-making, and muscle coordination can be impaired during a hangover.

Cederbaum summarizes removal as about 90% by oxidation, most of it in the liver, and less than 10% in breath, sweat, and urine. NIAAA's metabolism page also places most breakdown in the liver. A small elimination change is not a hangover trial. See alcohol metabolism and hangover cure myths.

Verster and colleagues surveyed 299 adults on a 15.8 km hike that was not assigned as treatment. Of 223 who drank the night before, 176 reported a hangover (mean 3.0 drinks of 10 g, severity 4.6 of 10). They felt more exhausted than people without a hangover. Walk time did not differ, and severity did not track walking outcomes. Probiotic trials, which did not measure training, are on probiotics for a hangover.

Sources: Parr et al., 2014: Alcohol and post-exercise myofibrillar protein synthesis; Shirreffs and Maughan, 1997: Alcohol and rehydration after exercise; Haugvad et al., 2014: Ethanol, muscle function, and testosterone/cortisol; Cederbaum, 2012: Alcohol metabolism; Hangovers: causes, remedies, and safety; How the body metabolizes alcohol; Verster et al., 2019: Hangover and hiking the Samaria Gorge

How to read the numbers

Borrow the dose that belongs to the result.

• Parr's dose was 1.5 g per kg, which that paper calls 12±2 standard drinks.
• Barnes's 0.5 g per kg line is a review judgment, not a target.
• Do not work out to decide you can drive. A small change in elimination is not a blood-alcohol result.
• Confusion, vomiting while barely responsive, slow or irregular breathing, or a person you cannot wake: call 911. That is alcohol poisoning, not a hangover.

Sources: Parr et al., 2014: Alcohol and post-exercise myofibrillar protein synthesis; Barnes, 2014: Alcohol, performance, and recovery in male athletes; Cederbaum, 2012: Alcohol metabolism; Understanding the dangers of alcohol overdose

Where Joyrise fits, and where it does not

These trials did not test Joyrise, and a capsule is not fluid replacement. Joyrise is an Alcohol Metabolizing Aid: a DHM supplement built around dihydromyricetin. The capsule label says to take 3 capsules while consuming alcohol, or before bed. Do not exceed 3 servings (9 capsules) per day. Much of the alcohol-related DHM evidence is preclinical, and Joyrise does not lower BAC, reverse impairment, or make driving safe. Read the full directions and warnings on our Alcohol Metabolizing Aid capsules page before you buy.

Sources: Joyrise capsules: product page and current label; Shen et al., 2012: DHM and alcohol-related signaling