Intoxicated Running and The Pleasure Principle:

America's newest contradictory hobby

"Rum Runner" Credit: Atlanta Magazine

"HANDS IN THE AIR IF YOU CATS AS DRUNK AS Me" -

A new trend is sweeping the nation. It expects less, it's destructive, it's belligerent, everything that the young modern man or woman chasing a dopamine rush looks for. This new trend is running under the influence. What people may think sounds repulsive on paper has turned out to be an exciting hobby, being

popularized by people like @bigjohngolfs and @lujanlives on Instagram. This new hobby is an important addition to American culture, and it is now crucial to know why its appealing.

Drunk running is plain and simple fun. Think about it, you get to let go of all of your expectations for yourself. All of that pressure you had before about improving every time you run, and how bad it hurt you mentally when you lost a few seconds or felt worse during a run than the time before. All of those negative feelings can be gone; you don't have to be the best every time. Whenever you put those beat up running shoes on and you have to close one eye to tie them, you know you are in for a great time.

"nothing seems to satisfy"-

Running is appealing to many for the euphoric benefits you can receive from it. That euphoric feeling can be split up into many different sections, but several of the main ones are endorphin release, endocannabinoids, and dopamine. Endorphins released during a run are meant to blunt pain caused by the constant stress on your body. They bind to the same receptors in your brain that morphine does. Endocannabinoids are cannabinoids (similar to thc) that are naturally produced by the body. These endocannabinoids are slowly released by sustained aerobic exercise and cause a detached and"floaty" type of feeling, often called a runner's high. The brain chemical is dopamine. Dopamine is known as the "feel good" hormone, and it controls one's motivation and reinforcement. Dopamine spikes when you hit a predicted goal; however, when you don't reach said goal...it dips significantly.

"Dopamine" - Canadian Pop Surrealist Stephen Gibb

Running under the influence acts as a means to have no prior prediction for that particular run, thus preventing a dopamine dip. Alcohol itself causes an artificial dopamine spike in other words "hijacking" one's reward system. What you can deduct from this knowledge is, subjectively, drunk running is only a form of avoidance. One could say that by avoiding expectations you set for yourself and filling it with something fake just to get what you did not truly work for, is not worth it. Yet it's all up for interpretation,

deciding to raise the bar or go to the bar.

"Now there's only me" -

The Pleasure Principle (Portrait of Edward James) By Rene Magritte

When people first consider starting to run it usually sounds incredibly unappealing, and they base that feeling off of prior experiences they had running. For most people running is a path to bettering themselves. Something a lot of people wish they had enough discipline to do. In an article about how running supports brain health, NYU Health experts Margaret Rice, Moses Chao, and Adam Mar said “experts have long understood that regular running raises dopamine activity in the brain and may protect nerve cells from damage. In addition, past research has tied exercise-driven boosts in the dopamine-triggering chemical called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and in dopamine levels to improvements in learning and memory.” This goes to show just how beneficial having a hard disciplined activity in your life can be.

What most modern runners understand is that progressive overload is the only way to improve athletically. Jason Fitzgerald of the Run newsletter stated, “Nearly every training plan, workout, and long run follows a simple physiological principle: progressive overload is the only way that athletes improve.” Something that you are most definitely not doing when you are intoxicated is overloading, you may do better than your last intoxicated run but you are far from reaching your sober max.

In addition you are also significantly blunting your ability to do better. Muscle Protein Synthesis (MPS) is the process of amino acids being incorporated into muscle fibers which is an essential process for muscle repair, maintenance, and growth. In 2014 a study done by several university health departments and sports nutrition institutes found that alcohol can suppress MPS by as much as 30%. In addition, alcohol also inhibits signals to build proteins and alcohol reduces insulin resistance, which is a stimulator of muscle growth. Alcohol effectively kills your ability to progress at your fullest potential.

"This is our decision to live fast and die young"-

What I think this new trend truly represents is a new turn for the young people that have been running social trends for the last 10 years. In the age of information culture between the newest generations seems to move everywhere as one, especially groups of subcultures such as health and fitness. I believe that this turn was one that represents enjoyment in a life we often take too seriously. Influencers such as @bigjohngolfs don’t only stand for being openly degenerative but also for sometimes doing things purely for enjoyment, and that's not a bad thing. Many young people that compare themselves to others online often forget that this is their one life. One thing 2012 did right was the YOLO trend, something we should be taking note of again. Although you can take anything too far, and all trends like this should be approached with caution, this is our prime. Sometimes we should stop being so serious, take some time purely for enjoyment, and go on a run…drunk.