Speaker 0:02

Welcome to Beyond Bathroom Blues Podcast, helping men understand irritable bowel syndrome, IBS, reducing symptoms, and take back control of their health and their life. Each episode focuses on clarity, not quick fixes. So you can stop guessing, make sense of what's actually going on in your gut and your mind, and move forward with confidence. I'm your host, Glencoe Quinchurch. Let's get into today's episode.

Alcohol in the Army in my 30's

Alcohol and sleep

Dangers of pushing through injuries

Speaker 0:28

Alcohol cost me shed loads in my 30s. Health, obviously wealth, because you're spending like I used to drink quite a lot. Not through the week, but I would drink loads of bottles of wine on a weekend, bottle of rum, maybe over the weekend. And it cost me in the army as well, going back in, you know, when I was in the military back then, I got into some situations that were, shall we say, avoidable. Had I been sober and not drinking, and you know, fights in in camp, fights happening, and I'm not fighting myself, but involved in that mix. And then before you know it, you're having to get questioned and you're getting dragged into stuff that is negative. So alcohol as well, it obviously affects your sleep. People think that the general I used to think, have a couple of drinks uh just to let your hair down, de-stress after a hard day at work. And I used to do it in the military, go into the sergeant's mess, the warrant officers, the sergeant's mess, uh, and the officers would do it in the officer's mess, finish work, have a shower, or you know, after you've been to the gym, and when the bar opens, have a couple of pints of beer. But this is the thing, you go to sleep easy, but then because your liver is processing that through the night, and again, it's not an alcohol lesson, do your research. Uh, for me, I wish I'd have stopped sooner because it it really did have an effect on my sleep for years. And I'm talking decade, you know, I'm 48 now, as I said before, I'm nearly 50, this has affected my sleep and health for years, and it's a risk, it's a lot of risk. Number four, pushing through injuries. This is a massive one that I've I don't do it anymore. I've not done it in years. Since since I left the army, even in the military, towards the end of my career in about 2017-18, I started focusing on myself more in terms of my injuries.

Speaker 2:07

When I was a young infantry soldier coming up through the ranks, obviously it was about getting a good report, adding value to soldiers, being being the fittest, being the best, because that's the military ethos in the British Army. Uh, and obviously, with our the things that we do, especially in the infantry, your regiment is always the best regiment, you know, whether it's the parachute regiment, I was in the Duke or Wellington's regiment. They're always the best regiments, and then within that regiment, you want to be the best section, second in command, section commander, platoon sergeant, officer, you know, platoon commander, and you just push yourself, push yourself, push yourself.

Speaker 2:41

And it's positive, you know, that that is very good for us in one hand, and it can help us in a lot of ways, especially if you're doing like marathons and ultras and all the rest of it, but it can be also come at a detriment as well. And it did for me massively in the military. I did um battle courses with shin splints and stress fractures and just took loads of painkillers for about eight weeks, living on painkillers and anti-inflammatories, which is not good for your body. And I put myself through hell a lot of the times.

Speaker 3:09

I tried going for special forces, the SAS special Air Service. I went on that course with an injury, and I got it more injured and more injured because that course is horrible, it's a beast. And then during the Hills phase and the test before test week on the Hills, I tore all the ligaments in my ankle and yeah, just wrecked myself. And that just knocks you back, it knocks you back. So that the key thing in this is, and I'm not saying you don't have to be in the military and think, well, I'm not in the army, I'm not doing this. You could be, you know, pushing through injuries with ultras, with marathons, it just knocks you back, it knocks you back even further uh than you'll ever known, especially when you get to my age and beyond. I mean, I'm not beyond yet, but you feel it big time. My knees now, because I've had knee surgery, double knee surgery, I've had shoulder surgery, I've had back injuries, shin splints, stress fractures, plant of fasciitis, long list. And they come back and haunt you when you're

Closing

Speaker 4:04

older. So, like now, I keep mega fit. I always have done. I love being super fit, super healthy, but it's it's difficult because you have to fire around injuries. Enough on that one. Hopefully that makes sense. Don't pursue injuries. Glenn, in your 30s, go and get expert help straight away. Don't be afraid to take a set uh sit sit down and relax and take a rest period, even if it's for a month and look after yourself. Thanks for spending your time with me today. Don't take that lightly and our precious time is. If you found this helpful, follow the podcast so you don't miss future episodes. Until next time, take care, be blessed by the best, and keep moving forward.