Man who drank for 20 years quit for 30 days and shared every change he noticed

As the dark nights draw in, it can often be tempting to spend your evenings in the warm pub or with a glass of wine at home.

Although Sober October and Dry January are both just around the corner, it's easy to see why this time of year might see people drink more than usual, especially with all the freshers heading to university in the last couple of weeks.

But there's also been a significant shift in recent years towards sobriety, especially in an increasingly health-focused generation who are treating their bodies as temples, even if doing a Hyrox can sometimes have some unfortunate consequences.

Those who've never been tempted by a drop of alcohol are perhaps lucky, but it's harder for people who have drunk it their whole life to suddenly give it up, which is why a 30 day challenge by popular YouTuber Upgradeitis was even more impressive.

After 20 years of drinking, he decided to ditch the daiquiris for a whole 30 days, while documenting all the changes that he noticed, with increased energy and patience two of the biggest things he experienced.

From a young age, particularly in the UK, drinking is a huge part of our culture but the reality is that even just a few drinks a week can be doing a lot of harm to our bodies.

Back in 2023, the YouTuber shared his significant results after going sober with his wife for a whole month, having gained 20 lbs and developed chronic anxiety, weak nails, difficulty swallowing and sleep issues since increasing his alcohol intake during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Even though he had never previously considered himself to be an alcoholic, when he was contemplating this challenge, he realised that he might well have had a drinking problem, as the thought of never drinking again triggered some anxiety.

The first week of sobriety: Cravings

Although he struggled a bit with cravings in the first week, he noted that waking up on a weekend without any adverse effects from the night before felt great.

The second week of sobriety: More cravings, boredom and fatigue

The second week brought more cravings, as well as boredom and fatigue, as he struggled to find alternatives to drinking in his evenings and weekends.

Week three of sobriety: Positive changes

However, after pushing through to the third week, he suddenly felt far more present during the day and also had more energy for activities in the evening, noting how he had time to take his kids to the pool.

Week four of sobriety: Improved mood, stress tolerance and patience

Week four is when the major breakthroughs started to come, as his mood was far improved, while his stress tolerance and patience also increased massively.

He had also been struggling with GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease), but this was almost completely gone after taking alcohol out of his diet for the whole month.

Although he didn't follow in the footsteps of many and turn his month off alcohol into a lifetime decision, his first beer after the break tasted bad and also made his brain foggy, so it's easy to see how many turn things like Dry January into a more permanent commitment.

Please drink responsibly. If you want to discuss any issues relating to alcohol in confidence, contact Drinkline on 0300 123 1110, 9am–8pm weekdays and 11am–4pm weekends for advice and support.