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Thoughts on alcohol?
I'm studying for the September LSATs with a full-time job. Any thoughts on cutting out alcohol entirely. Do people think casually drinking negatively impacts our ability to retain information? I'm talking about drinking on the weekends (getting drunk max once) and maybe a beer or a glass or two of wine on a weekday.
I'm thinking about cutting it out entirely but it helps a lot to relax and lower anxiety. Any one else contemplating this?
I'm thinking about cutting it out entirely but it helps a lot to relax and lower anxiety. Any one else contemplating this?
Comments
I do find a glass of wine or a couple beers after a long study day is helpful, though.
Phase 1 is off time. I do maybe 1 PT a week to stay sharp and other than that I don’t LSAT at all. During phase 1 I can do pretty much whatever I want.
Phase 2 is study time, but like a normal person. I do my PT plus drills and Game fool proofing, I revisit curriculum if I need to, and whatever else may seem prudent. During a phase 2 period I’ll let myself have a drink or two at the end of the day if I want. No more than that though.
Then there’s phase 3. This is hardcore LSAT beast mode. It is highly structured and I maintain strict discipline in every aspect of my life. It’s very Kung Fu, and it goes way beyond LSAT. It’s a living philosophy: Through mastering the LSAT, I seek to master my self. It’s almost a spiritual thing, very intense. I am still very much a student in self mastery, and I am not able to maintain this very long- usually a week or so. I once went a month though, and it was maybe the most productive month of my life. It was during this time that I broke the 160s plateau. So back to the point, lol, it probably goes without saying that no alcohol whatsoever in phase 3.
I know this goes way beyond the scope of your question, @RafaelBernard , but for me it has been good to be flexible on the question of alcohol, among other things.
Long story short - if you're doing well on your PTs and happen to drink sometimes, it's probably fine. Boozing and studying hungover isn't good, but in my experience, going sober for a few months isn't going to suddenly make your memory (or your LSAT ability) a lot better.
It's been my experience that drinking in the evenings just makes everything harder the next day - not just retention, but motivation, energy, mental clarity, the whole nine yards (the effects have gotten worse as I got older, so your mileage may vary).
That being said, anxiety is also likely to lower performance, and you might want to settle for less than optimal learning as a trade for feeling better and more like yourself. I'm sure some people would say that you shouldn't need alcohol to feel better and less anxious and instead you should exercise, meditate, do yoga and charity work and eat plenty of organic fruits and vegetables, but part of the fun of being a grown up is that you get to choose your own way of doing things and sometimes being all good all the time is kind of boring.
You've got some time till September, so you could try a couple of weeks with no alcohol, and see how it goes - maybe you'll find that you're not as wound up as you thought, and you like the fresher feeling in the morning.
Just kidding
Monday, June 6
That being said, I would hold off on the alcohol a few days before the LSAT. Alcohol isn't good if you want to get a goodnight's sleep and the effects on memory retention and learning definitely linger. I'd suggest rather than having a nightcap you have a celebratory drink after you take the test.
I would assume that having a beer or two once every two weeks should be okay. Like @"Quick Silver" said, stop drinking a few weeks before the test.
Anyway, I'm glad to know others have critically evaluated their drinking habits in relation to studying for the LSAT. I am a couple years out of school and feel way older when it comes to drinking. I think I might allow for a glass or two of wine about once a week and perhaps cut it out completely as the test-date gets closer. I just woke up Monday morning with the worst hangover and I hadn't had a hang over in a really long time! It was a wake-up call.
But I'm only human. It's easy to overindulge when you're under so much pressure (albeit self-imposed) - you just want to let loose! But moderation and discipline is key, especially during such strenuous times.
Happy studying!
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