I'm almost done with Whole 30, and based on my experiences so far, the biggest difficultly that I've encountered with Whole 30 is peer pressure. I think that the part of Whole 30 that my friends (and family) can't quite comprehend is why I'm not drinking. But don't get me wrong, I've had peer pressure to eat non-Paleo foods, too. Even though my friends and co-workers know that I've been following this diet/lifestyle change since February, they still try to convince me to take a break and have some bread, pizza, etc. And sure I've had some non-Paleo foods during the last 8-9 months, but for the most part, I've stayed strong. But peer pressure is hard. It's something that we deal with our entire lives. I admit that there are times during this past month that I want to have a drink, like when I'm stressed, or when I'm at a happy hour or dinner where everyone and their mother except for me is drinking. The thing I can tell you about all of this is that you CAN have fun without drinking. You can enjoy the stories and events even when sober... that is, assuming you have friends that you enjoy being around. Sorry, but being sober with people you don't like basically just leaves you with people you don't like. So maybe this would also be a good time to re-evaluate your friendships. Anyways, it can be fun to witness your friends when they're heavily intoxicated and saying "Stop judging me. No, I don't want any water!" as you watch them gulp through one glass of water after another. It's the little things that are amusing.
One thing that I think we often forget about is that alcohol is a toxin. There, I said it. A TOXIN! Sure there may be some health benefits if you drink one glass of red wine with dinner, but the key thing here is moderation. A good rule of thumb for learning your limits is that if you wake up with a hangover the next day, you had too much. A hangover is your body saying that you did something it didn't like. Learn from it. And remember, our Primal ancestors weren't distilling vodka in their caves, so these high % alcohol liquors can blow the concept of moderation out of the water. High consumption of alcohol for an extended time period can lead to fatty liver, swelling, and inflammation of the liver, and cirrhosis (Reference here).
And one of the other reasons that alcohol can be bad for Paleo-ites is that, as everyone knows, it lowers your inhibitions. This is particularly important for us Paleo people because that means we're more likely to cave into peer pressure and eat that late-night pizza, nachos, or taco(s). So in addition to the hangover you might get from over-indulging, you might also end up with a non-Paleo-foods-induced headache or stomachache (or other gastrointestinal-based issue).
In particular, why you should drink with food...
When you eat a meal, and your stomach is “full,” the pyloric sphincter – which controls the passage of food and drink from the stomach into the small intestine – closes up until your stomach can break down its contents. Any alcohol added to a full stomach will also spend more time being broken down by the relevant enzymes. If you drink on an empty stomach, the pyloric sphincter is wide open, and a greater proportion of alcohol will make it to the small intestine for immediate absorption. Plus, as I mentioned earlier, drinking alcohol with food can reduce postprandial blood glucose and the susceptibility of blood lipids to peroxidation (PDF). Keeping your drinking around meals will let you take advantage of these benefits.
And now you know why you get buzzed/drunk faster on an empty stomach.
And here's a summary of alcohol facts: calories, % alcohol, serving size, etc.
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