What Alcohol Was Actually Costing Us | Ep. 15

Spencer and MJ Lewis aren't sober. They're not in recovery. They're not here to preach. In fact, both of them say they'll probably drink again at some point. What they are here to do is have an honest conversation about what alcohol was actually costing them in the years they didn't see it — and what changed once they stopped.In this episode of Beyond The Beret, Spencer opens up about starting to drink at 13, using it to numb the pressure of high school sports, and then walking straight into a military culture where drinking wasn't just accepted, it was expected. He talks about the 3.5 years he leaned on alcohol to get through the hardest stretch of his life, the constant inflammation and puffiness he thought was normal, and the lie he kept telling himself: "5 good days, 2 bad days — if I just keep doing that, I'll be fine."MJ walks through her own version — the drinks that turned into snacks that turned into skipped mornings, the recovery hangovers that stole three days out of every week, and the moment they both realized the workouts, the clean eating, and the discipline weren't going to override what they were doing on Friday and Saturday nights.The episode also gets into the client conversations Spencer and MJ have every week — the guys who complain about their body composition while still drinking through the weekend, the wives who can't figure out why they're inflamed, and the honest math on how much progress alcohol quietly steals from people who are otherwise doing everything right.If you drink and are starting to wonder if it's holding you back, you've tried to cut down and it hasn't stuck, you're a coach or trainer working with clients who aren't seeing results, or you're just tired of feeling puffy and don't know why — this episode is for you.Topics covered:Why Spencer started drinking at 13 (and how his older brother's drinking normalized it)Using alcohol to numb the pressure of high school sportsMilitary drinking culture and why it felt like a perfect fitThe 3.5 years alcohol got them through — and the price they paid for itWhy "eating clean but drinking on weekends" doesn't workThe "5 good days, 2 bad days" delusionWhat inflammation really looks like in your face (and how you convince yourself it's normal)Why alcohol is the most reliable numbing tool available — and why that's the problemThe domino effect: alcohol leads to snacking, bad sleep, skipped workouts, missed morningsWhy coaching clients who won't quit drinking never see their body composition changeThe peer pressure of not drinking — and why saying "no" makes other people insecureSpencer's addictive personality and why he had to go cold turkeyMJ's take: not sober, not judging, still open to a drink somedayWhy they don't put themselves in drinking situations anymore (even though they're technically fine)Ultra marathons, bodybuilding prep, and what you can accomplish soberWhy we're not the alcohol-is-the-devil podcast — and why we still want you to look at what it's costing youRelated episodes:Episode 12 — TRT, Peptides, and Men's Hormones (also touches on why alcohol is the most socially acceptable poison)Episode 13 — What Nobody Told Me About My Own Body (nutrition and accountability)Hosted by Spencer Lewis — former Green Beret, ultra runner, founder of Alpha Country — and his wife MJ. New episodes weekly. Already Decided.