On March 10, 2010, I went for a 'hangover breakfast' at the International House of Pancakes (IHOP), after a fun night at the South by Southwest festival.
Everything made me feel nauseous. The big, bright, bold colors on the IHOP menus. The sights and smells of greasy, unhealthy food.
I felt rock bottom so made the instant decision to go 30 days alcohol-free: a personal bet to test my self-discipline.
The first two weeks were hard. When I went out with friends and ordered water, they gave me a hard time. “You’re un-Australian!” they’d say.
But I survived those two weeks. I felt better, slept better and had more mental clarity.
After 30 days, I’d lost an incredible 13lbs (5.9kg) of fat around my stomach. Just from stopping drinking.
I had more money in the bank. My skin looked considerably better, and I enjoyed getting out of bed for early morning exercise.
“Bugger it. I feel great," I said to myself. "Just keep going and see how far you can go.” Little did I know just how far I would go.
After 60 days, I craved a cold beer. Or a red wine. Or a Bombay Sapphire gin and tonic with a dash of lime.
When it was hot outside, I started dreaming, “I could smash a cold beer right now!” But I breathed deeply, downed some water, and the feeling passed.
After three months, I felt terrific. I’d dropped a few more pounds of fat and started to put on lean muscle in the gym. People complimented me on how good I looked.
Despite not drinking, I still managed to have wildly entertaining nights out – even with my drunken friends slurring their words around me.
I could be the life of the party, and no one would notice that I wasn't drinking.
I could still burn the midnight oil until 5 am but didn't want to: nothing good happened after1 am, anyway.
When I told women I wasn’t drinking, far from them thinking I was an alcoholic in recovery, they were impressed with my self-discipline. Conversations became more meaningful.
“Beautiful,” I thought. “I can stop drinking and still be fun, entertaining and attractive to women.”
Guys were always suspicious of my story, thinking that I was an alcoholic in recovery.
They called me a “Pussy!” Or said, “Just have one!” Or “An Aussie that doesn’t drink?!?! F$%k off!”
When you sign up for my challenge, you automatically get access to my exclusive closed “30 Day No Alcohol Challenge” facebook group.
Here, you will find hundreds of other people supporting you in your challenge.
Don’t rely on brute willpower alone.
Let other people support you.
In the New York Times best-seller “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg, it says people only change when there were embedded in social groups that made change easier.
When people join groups where change seems possible, the potential for that change to occur becomes more real.
For most people who overhaul their lives, there are no seminal moment of life-altering disasters.
There are simply communities who make change believable.
Put simply: “Change occurs among other people.”
Test it. See how you feel.
See if it works for you.
After 30 days, you can decide to stay quit.
Or reduce your alcohol intake from there.
Or don’t do it at all.
If you’re happy drinking, keep drinking.
I love drinking.
I love to drink a six-pack of beer and a bottle of red with the best of them.
I’m sure I’ll do it again one day.
But for now, I’m happy with water and soda and feel like I am the best version of me.
Billionaire Donald Trump says: “I don’t drink, and it’s very easy for me not to drink. I tell people, ‘What are you drinking for?’ And they don’t even understand what I’m saying.”
Warren Buffett says: “It’s the weakest link that causes the problem. It may be alcohol, it may be gambling, it may be a lot of things. It may be nothing, which is terrific. But it is a real weakest link problem.”
Steve Jobs, Apple Founder and CEO, didn’t drink. He was a part of President Obama’s Technology Summit dinner. In the much-circulated photograph of the group’s dinnertime toast, Jobs is holding a glass of water.
Tyra Banks, Model and Media Mogul says: “I feel like I’ve been very lucky because I don’t really have an addictive personality. I had a little taste of alcohol when I was 12 years old, but that’s about it.”
Jennifer Lopez, Singer, Actress, Media Icon, says: “I think that ruins your skin. Of course, during celebratory toasts, everybody’s like, ‘You can’t toast with water!’ So I’ll toast with alcohol and just take a sip.”
Larry Ellison, Cofounder and CEO of Oracle; No. 5 on Forbes’ list of The World’s Billionaires, says: “I can’t stand anything that clouds my mind. … I have no problem with people drinking; I have no problem with people smoking dope. If that’s what they want to do, God bless them, that’s their business. But I can’t do those things.”
Joe Manganiello: “There was a period of about four years where I needed to quit drinking. And the drinking got in the way [of my career]. It was one of those obstacles that I had to get over and once again I needed to clear the road in order for these things to happen, so it really is an inside job. I had to clean up my act and figure that whole situation out. I haven’t drunk in over 11 years. My life was ruined. I was homeless, careless and broke with no career, so yes, it was worth it [to get sober].”
Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo does not drink: “I avoid alcohol. Make sure you stay hydrated. Drinking water is so important.”
Singer and record producer Calvin Harris says he quit drinking after a series of incidents: “I gave up drinking because bad things happened. Things that you just think: ‘I really shouldn’t have done that.’ There have been lots of gigs when I’ve looked back and gone: ‘Oh, it was on television, a lot of people saw that, and I was totally inebriated.’ I’ve had the best year of my life not drinking, it’s been great.”