I'm new and would love to talk to some one who has gone through this

[everyday white guy]

Hey i'm the everyday white guy. things are well. I'm just really curious as to the affects on your social life and interaction. for example. is it wierd when you have to explain why you look different. how do people react. how long are you unable to do things like drink with confidence that you're not going to hurt you're self. what kindda physical limitations last for how long.

[Frank Reynolds]

Hello and welcome to this community.  What exactly are you new to? What are you wondering about?  I'm just curious about what experiences you are referring to because there are lots of members who can provide you with invaluable information, advice and support.

[headheldhigh01]

the effects are obviously depressive and tend to keep you from a normal life, but half of it or more is attitude.  just finding out what it is and that it's not cancer or you're not the only guy who has it is a mystery-killing, liberating discovery all by itself that can help make other people's ridicule mean close to nothing.  what you have control over is whether you get rid of it or not (surgery), and the attitude you take going forward.  everybody's approach to it is different, but people here discover a big commonality in the difficult experiences of avoiding swimming or shirts and skins, dealing with a girlfriend, hiding it from friends and family, etc. 

i'm not sure what you mean by the drinking or physical limitations stuff, do you mean after surgery or something? 

[Paa_Paw]

Gynecomastia does not impose any physical limitations of which I am aware. There may be some limitation of activity after surgery, but that would only be for a matter of weeks and would usually only apply to quite strenuous activities.

As to drinking, Alcohol does not cause Gynecomastia per se. What it does do is almost as bad. Alcohol is quite toxic to both the liver (which gets rid of Estrogen) and the testes (which produce Testosterone). As a result, drinkers are somewhat more prone to have the condition than nondrinkers. It has been noted that a heavy drinker would commonly have a higher level of Estrogen and a lower level of Testosterone. This is really bad news for someone susceptible to Gynecomastia.

I do not think that alcohol would be a problem if your consumption was a glass of wine with dinner or such. The problem is when a person drinks to the point of intoxication. A regular heavy drinker is not the only one at risk, A person who binges on weekends could still have the hormonal effects for several days after the binge.