Stayin' alive

[ZxZDeViLZxZ]

Marlo's pointed out some good points... Some serious things to consider... I know diet and exercise are very key here.... You may feel more tired at first but after some time will start to notice way more energy

[deevey]

Woah woah woah - you're struggling to stay alert for 4 hours ? Who are you Grandpa Simpson.

C'mon dude there's no need to be taking any kind of stimulant to stay alert for just 4 hours. Organise your day better, get some sleep, relax before your gig. If you can't stay alert for 4 hours you pretty much can't get by in any job.

Don't drink energy drinks EVER - they are the devils work. Trust me I know, I'm Type 2 Diabetic and it was a combination of alcohol and energy drinks that caused my diabetes.

If you have drink problem seek professional help - I've had issues with alcohol and it's gonna kill you if you ignore it (although you have admitted it so that's a step in the right direction). It took a very big scare to get me off the booze - it sounds like you might already have had a 'scare'. Sort it out.

Do you get regular exercise? That will help build up your stamina.

What's your diet like? Do you eat crap food? You need to eat well.

Stop looking for an instant fix and work out why you need to drink so much and why your energy levels are so low. You could already be diabetic, you could already have cirrhosis of the liver which will affect your energy.

Get yourself checked out. Get a full health check and then tackle what issues it brings up.

You are looking at this issue the wrong way around mate.

Sounds more like boredom than stamina being the problem and the OP's way of dealing with it is the bottle.

If the gigs are making you feel like you have to be drinking (or anything else) constantly, take a break from it.

[Scribbl3]

There are a lot of people that say drinking helps them be a better musician/DJ. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case.

I remember a few times in college, back when I was trying to be a "real" musician (professional trumpet player), being at a few gigs where the people around me were getting hammered while I was staying sober. They thought that they sounded like the next Miles Davis, while I knew that they were sounding progressively worse and worse the more shots they took.

I see it also with local bands. You can tell how good and professional a band is going to be based on the amount of liquor they consume before and during the show. Believe it or not, the best bands are the ones that don't have a bar tab that needs comping at the end of the night (btw, if you need to drink, make sure you put it in your contract. We have one band that puts a case of coors light and a case of water in their rider, and that takes care of them for the whole night.)

I don't have more than 1 or 2 drinks when I DJ at a mobile gig. I don't drink at all at the bar I DJ at. I feel that DJing is getting what you hear in your head out to the audience. If I have a substance messing with my head, that becomes close to impossible.

I used to drink a ton of energy drinks/soda at gigs, and I had to stop doing it. I was staying up till all hours of the night on a caffeine high, and that wasn't good at all.

For me, it was a hand-to-mouth thing. I found that if I had a bottle of water or tea with me, I'd reach for that instead of an energy drink. It was gradual, though. I went from redbull, to soda, to fruit juice, to water/tea. I've found that being gradual is the best way to make a lasting change, instead of going cold turkey.

Good luck. I've been around the bar business a long time, and I know how hard it is to kick the habit. Definitely don't be afraid to get professional help if you can't do it on your own.

[Kwal]

I play my best when drinking

[Ed Paris]

i also quit drinking alcohol last year in september (getting shitfaced every weekend plus having a hangover for 2 days wasn't worth it anymore). the thing i realized some weeks later was that i also unintentionally stopped drinking energy drinks.
so right now it is either water/tea/juice or alcohol free beer (still loving the taste of it )

@op:
you should seriously consider changing something. karlos gave you some good and important advise. try to stay away from energy drinks or coffee while playing. stuff might make you stay awake a bit longer but will completely exhaust your system. also coffein is known to dehydrate the body a lot.
oh and don't even think about doing any kind of drugs, since this will only worsen you state.

[loverocket]

Woah woah woah - you're struggling to stay alert for 4 hours ? Who are you Grandpa Simpson.

C'mon dude there's no need to be taking any kind of stimulant to stay alert for just 4 hours. Organise your day better, get some sleep, relax before your gig. If you can't stay alert for 4 hours you pretty much can't get by in any job.

Don't drink energy drinks EVER - they are the devils work. Trust me I know, I'm Type 2 Diabetic and it was a combination of alcohol and energy drinks that caused my diabetes.

If you have drink problem seek professional help - I've had issues with alcohol and it's gonna kill you if you ignore it (although you have admitted it so that's a step in the right direction). It took a very big scare to get me off the booze - it sounds like you might already have had a 'scare'. Sort it out.

Do you get regular exercise? That will help build up your stamina.

What's your diet like? Do you eat crap food? You need to eat well.

Stop looking for an instant fix and work out why you need to drink so much and why your energy levels are so low. You could already be diabetic, you could already have cirrhosis of the liver which will affect your energy.

Get yourself checked out. Get a full health check and then tackle what issues it brings up.

You are looking at this issue the wrong way around mate.

great advice ^

[loverocket]

I play my best when drinking

it works for a bit. and then you get past "the point"

once you hit that fine line you really start playing worse.

if you can handle it and not get past that point of regression, good for you.

But sometimes you go there and it's really not better.

[ImNotDedYet]

Regarding alcohol helping a DJ set - there are two things at play here IMO. There are the people who drink in moderation where a drink or two helps take the edge off and it may help them get into their sets a bit better, and then there are the people who are unable to drink in moderation. The latter is akin to watching people who have no rhythm or ability to dance try dancing after they've had a good amount of booze. We all know, having seen them, that they still have no rhythm or ability to dance, but they sure think they do, and it's only because they've lost their inhibitions of looking foolish. Alcohol is a depressant - it's most definitely not helping your attention when it's consumed past the point of moderation.

Karlos made some excellent points, and while it may sound melodramatic to say that alcohol can kill, however it's very true of people that aren't able to drink in moderation. I've seen it on multiple occasions - one of my old drinking buddies drank himself to death and a brother-in-law, diagnosed with psyrrhosis (sp?) of the liver continued drinking until it killed him. There are three possible results for those of us with problems with substance abuse: jail/prison, death or get sober/abstinence. If you really think you may have a problem, and others have been telling you as well, I highly recommend stop comparing your drinking to others who are "worse off" than you and look at yourself and your consumption patterns in a very honest manner. If you conclude you've got a problem, you should do whatever's in your power to get help because I'm one of the ones who was just flat out unable to do it on my own.

Finally, as Karlos mentioned as well - lay off the caffeine and get into a regular workout pattern. I find my concentration is much better and consistent throughout the day, the less caffeine I have. A regular workout pattern helps me in that my body craves healthy food and I sleep better on the nights I need to get some sleep.

Best of luck to you.

[Kwal]

it works for a bit. and then you get past "the point"

once you hit that fine line you really start playing worse.

if you can handle it and not get past that point of regression, good for you.

But sometimes you go there and it's really not better.

We're all different

I don't get blackout drunk ever so I never really risk making a fool of myself(on the decks that is lol)

[calgarc]

We're all different

I don't get blackout drunk ever so I never really risk making a fool of myself(on the decks that is lol)

lol i had a friend who used to get high (pot, mushrooms) before he performed... he had some sort of relgious thing when busking across canada. he gave up drugs, but now he drinks before performing... some people feel the need.