We recently did an episode discussing alcohol use and athletes. We wanted to follow that up with a quick review of some research on the topic. Looking at two articles (see below) we summarize what they found and how alcohol impacts athletes from the performance and recovery aspects. As with a lot of things, so much is dependent on context and how people choose to use alcohol. Check it out.
Barnes, M. J. (2014). Alcohol: Impact on sports performance and recovery in male athletes. Journal of Sports Medicine 44, 909-919.
Vella, L. D. & Cameron-Smith, D. (2010). Alcohol, athletic performance and recovery. Nutrients 2, 781-789.