Performing after a couple beers

[climber]

No alcohol while playing...not a good idea at all. Lost too many friends to that one. Besides, I play a LOT of fill-in gigs and I have to be ON all the time. I have really good ears, but a drink or two and all bets are off!

Now on my off daze I have been known to enjoy a snifter of cognac, or two...

 

[KickingBass]

Not to derail, but sipping alcohol will not turn you into an alcoholic. The problem is already there, before the alcohol comes in. Alcohol only amplifies it.

It's possible to have a drink - or two - with friends, socially, and keeping it responsible.

Alcoholics will use booze to feel better, but the problem still resides when they get sober, so they go back to drinking. Face your problems, solve them, be responsible about your flaws. No one is perfect, we all have flaws. Some people will take care of the flaw responsibly while others need more help. Alcohol/drugs will never cure no one.

Not disagreeing with you. Just to clarify, I didn't say that sipping alcohol turned anyone into an alcoholic though, that's different.

 

[deathness]

By the by, I used to get massive anxiety attacks when I smoked pot. I truly believed pot made them better. It was completely untrue, but I wanted it to be true. I was one of those, "legalize it man, it's good for like... making paper maaaannnn..." kind of guys. The fact was, I just liked to get high and put stickers on my bong. I quit drinking and doing drugs about 14 years ago. I've only had 1 panic attack in that time, and that was in the middle of a nasty divorce, so under the circumstances, it was understandable. I'm not saying this is what's happening with you, it's simply my experience. I was treating anxiety with a drug that causes panic attacks in some people. I did not seek medical professionals help because I knew they would tell me what I didn't want to hear. So I went to the internet to find "evidence" that pot is the greatest thing since sliced bread, and of course, there's plenty of that available. Lots of "studies" that say pot isn't addictive, and there's no evidence it causes cancer. Plenty of people saying if folks weren't so uptight, pot treats everything from paranoia to hemorrhoids. It wasn't until I got in a lot of trouble and was basically forced to change my behavior, and after some significant time with a clear head that I am able to look back at the situation for what it is. To me, it's very clear, and I'm about the least uptight cat you're gonna meet.

This. If people wanna smoke pot, that's cool by me. Just don't hurt anyone or operate heavy machinery. But when potheads wonder why they're dealing with paranoia, it makes me want to bang my head against a wall (like in that Accept video natch). I think drugs and alcohol have a place in society potentially, but the way most people use them is not that right place. They're just things, but any thing can be abused.

 

[Bodeanly]

If it was just stage fright, then yeah. But I have chronic Anxiety disorder and panic disorders.

I have chronic anxiety as well. For some reason, that changes once I'm on stage. I'm a teacher and I suppose after years of faking confidence, I have learned to conjure it at will.

 

[bobyoung53]

Xanax and Klonopin are both addictive and so is alcohol, it's easy to develop what is called a cross addiction as they both effect most of the same nerve centers, Benzos are what are used in hospitals to bring alcohol dependent people off alcohol to prevent withdrawal symptoms they taper them off with Benzos. You also said that the Klonopin and Xanax don't work very well anymore, the same thing can and usually will happen with alcohol and you may drink more and more to get the same effect just like with Benzos and guess where that usually leads.

 

[monsterthompson]

No silver bullet. If you've got problems, then you've got problems. Address the problems, don't add additional layers. Doctors aren't infallible, but that doesn't make a forum full of random Joes a better resource.

You've already decided what to do, anyway. Seeking validation online is not uncommon.

 

[Biggbass]

I like to have a modest meal and take a few potassium tablets about an hour before playing.
That gives me fuel and helps prevent hand cramps as the night progresses. I only drink unsweetened iced tea or water during the gig. And in the event a fan buys a round of shots for the band, which does happen, I'm more than prepped to handle it. As for stage fright related anxiety I managed to conquer that long ago during my theater years in school. There is simply no need to be afraid when you have a room filled with people who are there to have fun and party with you.

 

[Ric5]

I have terrible anxiety/panic attacks and I am prescribed Klonopin and Xanax for this, but I have developed a tolerance to them and in order to prevent an addiction I have been skipping doses and drinking alcohol instead on certain days, which also calms my nerves. I have drank during practices, but never during a performance. Does anybody have experience having a couple drinks during a concert and does it negatively affect your nerves/performing ? And I apologize if this is against the rules, if it is then feel free to take it down.

If you play enough then stage fright is not the problem ... the new problem becomes stage boredom ... many musicians use alcohol to reduce stage boredom

 

[TerriblePeril]

Exactly. I have irrational fears of impending heart attacks, strokes. My doctor assures me that I am a healthy 20 year old and that it would be highly unlikely for that to happen. I still just cannot wrap my head around it. I guess it is part of the illness.

I'll be starting my first course of prescriptions very soon after a fairly serious 'happening' leading to a long weekend in a locked psych ward. I fully relate to irrational fears controlling your mind and actions. Mine are less health related and more paranoia and social based, but I've learned that I have a LOT of triggers.

Part of me is hoping that after some time and working out medications that help me with what I've been dealing with (poorly) I may find out that my lack of gigging is caused by these things and not just me not wanting to.

 

[Kukulkan61]

The more I drink the better I sound...

 

[Thrust Meatnozl]

Contrary to what you read on here, I'm pretty sure most musicians have a few drinks at gigs and/or rehearsals. It's a non-issue for most people.

 

[RickyWoo]

It's all about moderation. Don't let it become a crutch. If you build up a tolerance don't fuel it more. Played loads with a few.

 

[DwaynieAD]

Oh, we r gonna do this thread again?? This should be fun.

 

[Joebone]

The sad thing about my situation is that it's sort of paradoxical. I have an overwhelming fear of panic attacks in public, which can cause me to have a panic attack. So no matter how prepared I feel, it doesn't matter. My anxiety isn't from embarrassing myself from playing, it is from having an episode on stage.

Cognitive behavioral therapy. Seen it work for folks with some range of anxiety triggers over the years. My wife, a clinical psycholgist, swears it's the best way to go, based on empirical results (she does not see patients, so no bias/conflict on this). No hocus-pocus, agonizing over what your parents did or didn't do to you, etc., and results sometimes surprisingly quick.

Good luck to you.

 

[Lobster11]

I'm very troubled by some of the anti-medicine advice being dispersed in this thread, and especially the widespread assumption that every psychological symptom has some "underlying cause" that needs to be addressed, because meds merely treat symptoms while ignoring "real" causes.

Yes, it is certainly true that many psychological "disorders," such as anxiety or depression, are the result of real-world problems that are better solved than merely papered over to make you feel better. But it is also true that in many cases this is not the case: The "real" cause involves a brain abnormality can be most effectively treated by the right medication. Vulnerability to panic attacks is one of these things that can be controlled with proper medication. There needn't be an underlying "real" or "deeper" problem involving inadequate toilet training in childhood, or an Oedipal complex, or stage fright, or whatever, that needs to be resolved. Neurotransmitter systems in the brain are not operating properly, and these can be treated by SSRIs or other targeted medications.

I understand that over-prescription of meds can be a problem, but let's not throw out the proverbial baby with the bathwater.

 

[buldog5151bass]

I do, but physicians are inclined to deter recreational use of any substance in their patients. When I need advice like this, I usually look to the web with people that have experience. That's why I have accounts on Shroomery forums, reddit, etc

So you are taking the advice of a bunch of unknown, unqualified and faceless individuals over your medical professional???

Yeah, that works...

 

[JMacBass65]

Danger Will Robinson!

As my Dad, a recovering alcoholic, once said "the problem with alcohol is that it works".

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

I'm just the opposite. I can't drink *at all* before I play. I know I play well, I know that I know my parts, so I tend to *strut* on stage.

After the gig? Sure - PGBs (post-gig-beers) are always good

 

[skwee]

on a gig, I'm likely to have a couple. One prior, and then one either between sets or after we are done. Doesn't affect my playing, but it definitely affects the voix.

 

[Kmonk]

Everybody is different. My lead singer can't hold pitch or remember words after one or two drinks. My guitar player, keyboard player and I are fine. However, in support of our lead singer who is a recovering alcoholic, we have a strict no alcohol policy and rehearsal and on stage. I usually have a couple of drinks before we go on stage but never when I am around the lead singer.

My personal experience drinking and performing has been fine. Several years ago, I was filling in with my former band at a private event and the BL kept bringing shots to the stage. He didn't drink often but when he did, he expected everyone else to drink with him. At one point he called out a song that I had never played but had heard many times. I somehow managed to get through it. Then he called out another and then another. This went on for quite a while and I ended up doing about a dozen songs that I had never played before. During the show the BL commented that I was the only musician he had ever met who "the more he drinks the better he plays". I have since been told this by several people.

In my opinion, its a bad habit to get into.