So after long sessions ( prety much every day) i drink 4 to 6 beers and smoke a couple of joints to relax.
As most of you know poker is a stress full job to have.
Im just wondering if some of you guys also "self medicate" if you play poker for a living.

edit; i also take xanax about 4 5 times a week. And yeah, i sound just like a junkie.

I took xanax once about 10 years ago and it made me feel like a noodle. I'd slump right over when trying to walk and my legs were made of jello. I rode with my roommate to some government building in town to pay my water bill. Everyone in there looked pretty concerned cause I fell down at least 6 times. Then I went home and slept for like 30 hours and felt like someone had been standing on my head the entire time when I woke up. Point is, I have no idea how anyone can take that stuff regularly.

As for the booze and joints, they definitely help and are plenty of fun. They're also expensive and there are better ways to relax. I used to drink quite a bit up until about 3-4 years ago and the biggest problem I find with booze is that just about everything becomes uninteresting without it once you're used to it. You also lose your creativity and become generally listless. I love kayaking and hiking, but when I was drinking all the time both of those things sounded "boring and gay" because I couldn't really drink very easily while doing them. I'd ditch all that stuff and look into a more permanent solution for relaxing and de-stressing. It'll save you money in the long run and you'll feel better. Just my two cents.

Poker is not a stressful job. Do you ever notice how many businessmen hit the poker room to blow off steam and relax? Try having a real job where you have real decision making power or are closing sales in the $100k+ net profit range and you will crack up at the idea of poker as a stressful job.

Also, mixing benzos and alcohol is going to leave you broke, in prison/the psych ward, or dead. It's a ******ed combination that can kill you quite easily.

Drop the pills, cut back on the beer to 1 or 2 beers, smoke another joint if you have to to compensate, and sort out what's really at the core of your anxiety issues because if you think poker is too stressful the bottom line is you're not going to be able to make it in the real world when you eventually flame out in poker with that kind of mindset and lifestyle.

IMO, stuff like Xanax is like putting a bandaid over a bullet wound. It's a problem that requires real work to fix. Most people I know who have taken xanax end up taking it more and more and it works less and less. I have a good family doctor, and when I inquired about it, he told me he could prescribe it, but it would be MUCH better to resolve the underlying issues causing the anxiety.

As for alcohol, everything in moderation. Nothing wrong with a couple beers, nothing wrong with a couple joints. I think when it becomes something that you can't do without, it becomes a problem. I couldn't drink that many beers and still get up early to workout in the morning. And for a poker player, health > entertainment (beers etc).

I also think your outlook on poker being stressful is the wrong one. I quite enjoy playing poker, even if it does sometimes tilt me. What makes it stressful for you?

Hey OP,

I don't agree that poker is not stressful , i think its quite the opposite. Its very stressful especially if you take coolers, long run bad periods emotionally. It can be extremely stressful. I am in sales myself and have to produce results but i get more stressed out from poker then from my job. I also drink and smoke joints while i play, not every time but i do it quite often. I hate live poker too.

Thoughts create emotions. Emotions do not create our thoughts. You have a thought of how bad coolers are, and it stresses you out. I have thoughts about how interesting poker runouts are, and ponder how I can use this information to benefit me in future games. Emotions are a choice, manifested through our thoughts.

Let me give you an example of how we differ on things:
The bottom line is this: Everyone in poker experiences "coolers". Some people think AK not holding up vs AQ is a cooler, some may only consider full house vs full house + to be a cooler. They're all opinions. The difference is that I am choosing more positive, objective language about how I perceive events.

And these weren't things that I did naturally. Years ago, I punched my share of walls, bruised knuckles on my solid wood desk, mashed my heavy bag until my hands were too sore to hit the bag, swore and yelled loud enough to make others in my house worry about me. I don't do any of those things anymore. I did those things for years, they were habits I developed based on my thoughts about poker. By changing those thoughts, I was able to change my emotions. Anyone can do it, but it does take some work. And sadly, most people would rather make excuses instead of getting off their asses.

Xanax. Some guy believes it makes everyone completely out of it. He doesn't seem to understand that drugs don't affect everyone exactly the same. Besides, maybe he was prescribed too high of a dose or like some fools he recklessly took more than what was prescribed. Personally, I've had Xanax when I went through some very stressful times, such as being an estate trustee and having to deal with some very difficult individuals. I was actually disappointed because I'd heard so many people rave about it. It wasn't anything special. It didn't make me feel awesome and when I was really anxious it didn't help enough.

I don't like weed. Especially not for playing poker. Why? It makes me stupid. I can't think and I tend to easily call off all my chips. So I avoid weed.

Alcohol. I'm one of those rare people who plays better when drinking, even drunk. That's probably because I have anxiety issues and am a rather timid person. Alcohol makes me much bolder. And not in a stupid way. And sometimes it works out really well because some people think I must be playing terribly and I end up getting paid BIG time against weak hands. Of course, there is a point where I get too drunk and play worse than when sober. But in general, I like to chug alcohol when I start so it hits me hard, but then I slow down from that point on.

Opioids. My favorite. I don't take hard opiates and I like to increase my dose as I go until I hit a sweet spot. I've played my best poker during those sweet spot times. My mind seems to open up, expand, my thinking becomes clear and everything that I ever learned about poker that works seems readily available. My patience is good, I feel confident, at ease, nothing bothers me. The only problem is that when I get a good buzz one day, the next day I don't hit that sweet spot. So I have to cycle on and off in or take more and more, something I have avoided doing. Also, I've always struggled to find a good, reliable source. P.S. I've never experienced a rush from opiates, nor nodded. Like I said, I gradually increase my dose until I feel clear and relaxed.

One time I tried ritalin or adderal, it was one or the other, and I played terrible. I was overaggressive and played too many hands and couldn't fall asleep until 9 am.

My belief is that certain drugs can be performance enhancers. It all depends on how the person reacts to the drug. Just because weed makes me dumb, that doesn't mean it makes everyone dumb. For some people it helps.

nice and informative post

You are essentially rewarding yourself for losing. This can't be a good thing. I'd say keep the current routine for comfort purposes but then take some better drugs when you win such as LSD, Coke, and Meth. Maybe take something like DMT when you have a real nice score.

Wow.... that is priceless.

This has to be a troll right?

I played on MDMA once lasted 25 minutes at the table before i couldn't hack it anymore and had to go home lol weed makes me stupid and alcohol makes me spewy but being sober sucks!

Having too little sleep can make you feel like your on some kind of drug

Never playing when sleepy would plug every poker players worst leak.

This is deff true, well said

hm.. you really earn money with poker? How much did you earn the maximum and the minimum per month of your work. Also, I`m interested if that you are talking about is legal in your State? I mean to use it

interesting thread.

totally agree how everything gets boring if one habitually drinks alcohol long term. I also found this to be happen with weed. I cut out the weed totally a few years back.

Poker isn't stressful? I'm fairly certain what drew me to the game most of all was the thrill and a propensity for risk taking which I know for a fact a lot of my poker buddies have too.

I think my point is that poker, to me, is kind of stressful whether I win or lose just in different ways. And also that out thinking a situation and winning the monies at the same time is sweet.

apologies Op I forgot to say that I defo think that usage and combo of drug use will rot your brain a lot. I would very much echo the idea you work on cutting at least some of these out / back.

Hi, sorry but I guess, both alcohol and drugs are not really good vices. I should say that an abuse of those could only ruin your good way of living.

It is possible to play poker for fun and to enjoy it as a game; however it is not the same with alcohol and drugs. We should not put together these 3 things as they are different from my point of view.

within the framework of addiction I think it is useful to compare them.

it is possible to play poker and enjoy it as a game in the same way that it is possible to go for one or two drinks after work but not so much that we cannot go to work the next day