Pausing Reta for a week-long celebration with alcohol

Prepperpepper

Prepperpepper

Explorer
Joined
Jun 7, 2026
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Location
Far South Coast NSW
I’ve been using Reta for almost 3 months now, and results have been great—about 1.4kg lost per week, hardly any side effects. My current weekly dose is 8mg, divided as 4mg on Wednesday and 4mg on Saturday.

There’s a social event coming up that lasts nearly 1 week. Food isn’t my worry; it’s the drinking. I thought about stopping Reta for about a week before the event so I can build some alcohol tolerance. I don’t drink often, but one weekend while on Reta I checked how I handled it and saw I get hit much harder—2 beers feel like 4. I haven’t done a heavy drinking test, and my main concern is the following day and a possible hangover, since I need to be physically capable every day for planned activities.

I know this might sound counterproductive to many, myself included, but I really enjoy this yearly event and want to make it work if I can while still having some casual drinks.

Has anyone taken a planned break for something similar? What helped? What didn’t? Has anyone tried staying on their dose and still avoided bad hangovers?
 
Prepperpepper said:

I’ve been using Reta for almost 3 months now, and results have been great—about 1.4kg lost per week, hardly any side effects. My current weekly dose is 8mg, divided as 4mg on Wednesday and 4mg on Saturday.

There’s a social event coming up that lasts nearly 1 week. Food isn’t my worry; it’s the drinking. I thought about stopping Reta for about a week before the event so I can build some alcohol tolerance. I don’t drink often, but one weekend while on Reta I checked how I handled it and saw I get hit much harder—2 beers feel like 4. I haven’t done a heavy drinking test, and my main concern is the following day and a possible hangover, since I need to be physically capable every day for planned activities.

I know this might sound counterproductive to many, myself included, but I really enjoy this yearly event and want to make it work if I can while still having some casual drinks.

Has anyone taken a planned break for something similar? What helped? What didn’t? Has anyone tried staying on their dose and still avoided bad hangovers?
Click to expand...
How about staying on track with fat loss while paying 1/2 price for beer?

In essence, that's the trade-off being discussed, assuming the only concern is reaching a buzz more quickly.

Should you choose this path, remember that it takes several weeks to reach the break even point, and several weeks beyond that will still be impacted.

True, some mornings on pin day have been rough for me, yet I still pinned.

Let's hear what others have to say, but from my perspective, it comes down to ranking your priorities and managing to not eat your cake but drink it too.
 
Yeah, this is something I do too. My approach is to halt the medication for a minimum of 1 whole week ahead of anything major — think big parties, holidays, that kind of thing. The hangovers do hit a little harder than they would otherwise, sure, but it won't keep you from enjoying food, drinks, and a good time when the day comes. After the event, usually 1 or 2 days later, I start back up at the same dose I was on before. Never had any issues with it.
 
My approach would be to cut it to 1/2 dose. Then go easy with the alcohol. Pick a beverage you're able to nurse for a while. You could ask the bartender to mix it at 1/2 strength. Or order a coke in the same type of glass a mixed drink comes in. If everyone around you thinks you're drinking, you'll still be able to enjoy yourself just as much.
 
Prepperpepper said:

I’ve been using Reta for almost 3 months now, and results have been great—about 1.4kg lost per week, hardly any side effects. My current weekly dose is 8mg, divided as 4mg on Wednesday and 4mg on Saturday.

There’s a social event coming up that lasts nearly 1 week. Food isn’t my worry; it’s the drinking. I thought about stopping Reta for about a week before the event so I can build some alcohol tolerance. I don’t drink often, but one weekend while on Reta I checked how I handled it and saw I get hit much harder—2 beers feel like 4. I haven’t done a heavy drinking test, and my main concern is the following day and a possible hangover, since I need to be physically capable every day for planned activities.

I know this might sound counterproductive to many, myself included, but I really enjoy this yearly event and want to make it work if I can while still having some casual drinks.

Has anyone taken a planned break for something similar? What helped? What didn’t? Has anyone tried staying on their dose and still avoided bad hangovers?
Click to expand...
I don't know the solution either, but after starting reta on Friday, I drank 2 beers yesterday and the effect was like I'd downed 4!! I definitely got that tipsy feeling, even though my trusty breathalyzer (seriously, these things are awesome) read only .03 BAC. I was totally stunned that my perception didn't line up with the number I blew. Normally it's the opposite. hahaha. My guess is you can likely continue the reta and still have a few drinks, you'll just probably get tipsy more quickly!
 
So GLPs make the drinks hit harder... and you're framing that as a downside🙃

You take in fewer drinks, which spares your body and cuts calories, yet you still catch the same buzz. That reads like a double win, unless showing off how much you can handle is the goal.
 
Why not bring "the new you" along to the party? That version of you is still able to drink, eat, and enjoy themselves. I like all of those things too, just typically in smaller portions that feel just as good...That's not to claim I haven't figured out how to go overboard while on GLPs, 'the new me' still knows how to have a good time... 😎 👍
 
What’s the frequency of Reta changing how alcohol hits you or how rough the next day feels? I’ve come across claims it can, so I’m looking to gather more details. While on Reta, I’ve occasionally had a big glass of wine and felt completely fine. Going beyond that may be risky, and after reading what’s out there I’ll steer clear — but when folks raise this topic, is it usually because they’re aiming for 2+ drinks, tend to be sensitive, feel anxious about it, or are on a larger Reta dose (making them more sensitive)? Just wondering.
 
Honestly, my experience is the reverse.

I drink, yet the alcohol doesn't hit me.

If anything, the issue shows up at night and the following morning: because gastric emptying has slowed, I sleep poorly and feel even worse when I get up.
 
Beer isn't really my thing, yet roughly 14 days back I had several really good gin & tonics and felt zero bad effects afterward.

Bottom line: my glps gave me more value, and the morning-after misery dropped significantly. My guess is that's tied to drinking less overall.
 
Basically, the point of drinking is enjoyment and being social. If your goal isn't to enter a drinking competition and show you can beat everyone else, then there's no issue.
 
Chocoholic1234 said:

What’s the frequency of Reta changing how alcohol hits you or how rough the next day feels? I’ve come across claims it can, so I’m looking to gather more details. While on Reta, I’ve occasionally had a big glass of wine and felt completely fine. Going beyond that may be risky, and after reading what’s out there I’ll steer clear — but when folks raise this topic, is it usually because they’re aiming for 2+ drinks, tend to be sensitive, feel anxious about it, or are on a larger Reta dose (making them more sensitive)? Just wondering.
Click to expand...
There are several factors that play into how a hangover hits you:

Back when my calorie intake was severely restricted, I still drank on 2 evenings each week, and those drinks made up nearly 1/2 of what I ate those days.

Pair that with skipping food afterward and barely eating beforehand, and it can get rough.

Then there's alcohol's diuretic effect, which hits harder if you're already struggling to stay hydrated.

And lastly, the stomach empties more slowly.

I managed okay, but I kept things controlled and capped how much I drank. (I actually measured Bourbon and Coke Zero with a shot glass)

Oddly, over time, now that I'm maintaining, my drinking is down compared to before, yet it can still catch me off guard when I'm not paying attention.
 
Halting and then resuming could influence how quickly you lose weight once you're back on it (after just a week off, the impact is likely minor, but it's worth keeping in mind).

Honestly, I'd see your lower tolerance as a plus! Same cost, double the effect!

If what you're after is sampling a wide range of drinks (a beer festival comes to mind), you could order flights rather than pints (or the cocktail equivalent), or simply have less of each beer/cocktail and leave some unfinished.
 
Prepperpepper said:

I’ve been using Reta for almost 3 months now, and results have been great—about 1.4kg lost per week, hardly any side effects. My current weekly dose is 8mg, divided as 4mg on Wednesday and 4mg on Saturday.

There’s a social event coming up that lasts nearly 1 week. Food isn’t my worry; it’s the drinking. I thought about stopping Reta for about a week before the event so I can build some alcohol tolerance. I don’t drink often, but one weekend while on Reta I checked how I handled it and saw I get hit much harder—2 beers feel like 4. I haven’t done a heavy drinking test, and my main concern is the following day and a possible hangover, since I need to be physically capable every day for planned activities.

I know this might sound counterproductive to many, myself included, but I really enjoy this yearly event and want to make it work if I can while still having some casual drinks.

Has anyone taken a planned break for something similar? What helped? What didn’t? Has anyone tried staying on their dose and still avoided bad hangovers?
Click to expand...
To begin with, taking 7 days away won't change anything. Clearing it from your body requires 4-6 weeks. You're on 8mg after 3 months/12 weeks? Either you began with 4mg or increased quickly.
 
Once you've been dosing Ret at 8mg for 24-30 days or longer, your levels sit at a steady state near 16mg, and across the week they swing from about 20 mg just after a shot down to 11 mg just before the next one.

Say you paused for 2 weeks — you'd still be sitting at just below a 4mg dose. That makes it pretty tough to escape. Whatever you do, the effects will be present. My own habit is to skip the injection closest to an event, then resume the day after; I'm fine with my Ret day shifting to another weekday.

Stick to light beer, tall mixed drinks, or pour yourself modest glasses of wine. I've watched it catch people off guard.

Still, pushing injections back appears to help a fair number of folks who want to drink the way they used to.
 
why not just be glad that 2 beers give you the same feeling that 4 beers used to? do you have some particular reason to drink a larger amount? is this some kind of contest or what?
 
Flash-BCR said:

Why not bring "the new you" along to the party? That version of you is still able to drink, eat, and enjoy themselves. I like all of those things too, just typically in smaller portions that feel just as good...That's not to claim I haven't figured out how to go overboard while on GLPs, 'the new me' still knows how to have a good time... 😎 👍
Click to expand...

can_pep said:

Once you've been dosing Ret at 8mg for 24-30 days or longer, your levels sit at a steady state near 16mg, and across the week they swing from about 20 mg just after a shot down to 11 mg just before the next one.

Say you paused for 2 weeks — you'd still be sitting at just below a 4mg dose. That makes it pretty tough to escape. Whatever you do, the effects will be present. My own habit is to skip the injection closest to an event, then resume the day after; I'm fine with my Ret day shifting to another weekday.

Stick to light beer, tall mixed drinks, or pour yourself modest glasses of wine. I've watched it catch people off guard.

Still, pushing injections back appears to help a fair number of folks who want to drink the way they used to.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the feedback.

I'm not sure whether it's my math or your math that isn't adding up, but I use the Shotsy app, and with 8mg split into 2 pins of 4mg each week, it shows me a peak of roughly 10mg and a trough of roughly 7mg.

The trackers indicate that if I pause a week ahead of time, I'd be at about 4.4mg, or about 2.3mg if I stop 2 weeks before.

Honestly, I'm eager for the perk of needing fewer drinks to catch the same buzz, but what worries me more is how I'll feel the morning after, plus the range of outcomes people report depending on whether they continued pinning or paused.
 
BBA1969 said:

So GLPs make the drinks hit harder... and you're framing that as a downside🙃

You take in fewer drinks, which spares your body and cuts calories, yet you still catch the same buzz. That reads like a double win, unless showing off how much you can handle is the goal.
Click to expand...
The idea of paying half price for things is definitely tempting😂

I'm not aiming to lean on the alcohol tolerance I had in the past, even though I could. Back then, after 8 beers or even 24 beers, a hangover was a very rare thing for me.

What worries me more is that if I accidentally go too far in a real-life situation while on Reta, the whole social event could end in a total wipeout. Most people know how simple it is to give in when others are pushing drinks in situations like that, so I'm just hoping a few legends here have been through it and can steer me toward good choices.
 
Reta hasn't really shifted how much alcohol I can handle, though the slower gastric emptying means it hits later. So rather than going all out from the start, I now spread my drinks out, and that ends up meaning I drink less in total.

During my first time drinking while on GLPs, I skipped that approach and was putting them away fast since I wasn't feeling anything.

HUGE ERROR.

For the first few hours after, I just kept getting more intoxicated, and even though I managed to stay upright (barely), the next couple of days were rough. Won't make that mistake twice !
 
Back
Top