I quit drinking for 365 days – my body looks so different now, I barely recognise myself
A man who hasn’t touched a drop of alcohol in a year has claimed that he’s now in the ‘best shape of his life’ as a result of the teetotal intervention.
Cam Jones, 31, who swapped his 14 tipples a week for sparkling water, also said ditching booze resolved the insomnia that he’d battled for more than a decade.
‘All I had to do was give up that evening glass of wine I was used to having,’ said the content creator.
‘Without alcohol in my system, I was able to wake up at 6am, walk to the gym and exercise before sitting down to work.
‘It completely changed my life.’
Detailing his transformation in a revealing YouTube video, that’s so far had 28,000 views, Mr Jones said he’s seen vast improvements in his mood, focus and body fat levels.
Incredible before and after photos show Mr Jones as a slimmed, toned version of his former, boozing self.
He first decided to quit drinking a year and a half a go, after realising his health was ‘at breaking point’.
A regular social drinker, Mr Jones was consuming between seven and 14 drinks each week – just within the recommended US guidelines – and said it was taking a toll on his health
He said he’d ‘reached breaking point’ – struggling with poor concentration and tirednes
‘I had gained a lot of weight, my health was taking a hit and I felt generally unmotivated and unfocused most days,’ he said.
‘Health had started to be a problem for me.’
He decided to embark on the 75 Hard challenge — a popular fitness feat that involves eating a healthy diet, exercising twice daily and quitting alcohol for 75 days.
He began to see results almost instantly, he said.
Mr Jones is convinced that going sober was the most crucial contributor to his initial weight loss.
Noticing the benefits, he decided to carry on without alcohol when the 75 days were up.
At first, he noticed no further changes to his mood or health.
But after sticking it out for six months, Mr Jones finally began to see improvements.
‘It took me personally six months to see any change and when they did happen, they were not what I was expecting,’ he explained.
‘Not only did I see even greater improvement in my quality of sleep, but what was even more remarkable was how drastically I saw an improvement in how I was able to focus.
‘I used to struggle with working consistently and completing tasks on time.
‘But after six months of no drinking, the act of sitting down and focusing become something I didn’t even have to think about.’
His quality over sleep improved immeasurably, he said.
‘Through most of my 20s, I had just assumed I was a bad sleeper,’ Mr Jones said.
‘I had the recurring problem of going to bed, falling asleep immediately and then waking up three to four hours later and having to spend hours struggling to fall back asleep.’
Having tried many different techniques to improve his sleep quality to no avail, this was the first positive step he had ever made.
Almost immediately after quitting drinking, Mr Jones found himself waking up far less often.
After quitting alcohol, Mr Jones found himself able to wake up earlier – and even discovered he was a morning person – due to the better quality of sleep he was getting
He found himself able to workout before starting work, getting to the gym at 6am in the morning
‘Improved sleep helped me realise I’m actually a morning person,’ he said.
‘And with work becoming easier and less forced, my mood improved and my daily stress dropped.’
Drinking alcohol before bed can ruin sleep quality in a number of ways.
Booze interrupts the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep. This phase — the deepest of four we all go through every night — is vital for memory, learning and creativity.
Alcohol can cause people to nod off faster due to its sedative effect, but then, as it is metabolised by the body throughout the night, can also mean they wake up more frequently.
Alcohol also disrupts sleep by making drinkers sweat more, which exacerbates dehydration, fatigue and headaches – making you feel more tired the next day.
Better sleep, in turn, has been shown to help with weight loss and improved physical health more generally.
More shut eye can regulate the hormones in the body that affect hunger and appetite, leading to fewer cravings and lower calorie intake.
The NHS recommends that adults drink no more than 14 units each week — that’s 14 single shots of spirit or six pints of beer or a bottle and a half of wine
It also makes people less likely to skip exercise or eat takeaways or fast food due to fatigue.
A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who were starved of sleep were more likely to indulge in late-night snacking.
Other researchers have also discovered that sleeping too little prompts people to eat bigger portions of all food, increasing weight gain.
And a review of 18 separate studies found that in all, a lack of sleep led to increased cravings for energy-dense foods.
Going sober also helped Mr Jones become more financially stable.
Ordering sparkling water rather than wine or cocktails meant Mr Jones was saving an extra £55 to £77 dollars each week — or more than £270 each month.
Now, he’s planning to reintroduce some alcohol back into his life – in moderation.
Rather than seven drinks a week, he’s planning to limit his consumption to just seven each year.
But, he says, he’ll never go back to his drinking habits of the past – now he’s seen the toll they take on his health.
‘I know moderation isn’t very glamorous,’ he said. ‘The truth is there are things about alcohol that I do love and I do enjoy.
‘But over this last year as I took a closer look at alcohol I also realised there are a lot of things I kind of hate too.’
