Man who quit drinking alcohol for 30 days reveals shocking changes he noticed with one major 'realisation'
If you're someone who is considering whether to jump on the Dry Jan bandwagon, this bloke might help you decide whether it's worth the hype.
Millions of people take part in the annual challenge to go alcohol-free for the first month of the year to have a bit of a detox after a booze-fuelled festive season.
Let's have it right, a lot of us have drank enough throughout December to last us an entire year - so the idea of going 31 days without liquor is quite enticing.
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Experts insist you will notice a number of health benefits if you take part in Dry January, however, some people remain unconvinced by the point of it.
A few Brits think it's counterproductive to cut out alcohol for just one month while continuing to get hammered for the other 11. And they have a point - but the purpose of the campaign which was first launched by Alcohol Change UK is to encourage people to simply reconsider their relationship with booze.
It prompts us to take stock of how much alcohol we are drinking and whether we might be teetering into dangerous territory with our drinking habits.
But you don't just have to take my word for it, as this man revealed what results he had after putting himself on a booze ban for 30 days.
YouTuber Jordan LoNigro decided to document his challenge and share his results online in the hopes of inspiring others to take a leaf out of his book too.
In a video originally shared in May 2019, he explained that he was motivated to ditch drunken nights out after a booze-heavy few weeks, which resulted in some pretty grim hangovers.
The photographer and videographer, based in South Carolina, then revealed what changes he had noticed after not consuming any alcohol for more than four weeks, as well as the biggest realisation he had.
He excitedly announced that he had lost 10 pounds 'just by simply cutting out alcohol for a month and eating a little bit healthier'.
"So that's pretty awesome," Jordan said. "I feel like I have a bit more energy, I feel a lot less sluggish than I usually do. I've been more creative.
"I haven't been waking up with hangovers on the weekends, so I've been using my time to my advantage and just being more all-around productive, so that's been great as well. And lastly, I saved money."
The content creator explained that even if you are just grabbing one beer with a meal, these small purchases add up over the course of a month.
However, Jordan admitted it wasn't all smooth sailing, even if the 30 day challenge did leave him feeling better mentally and physically.
"Now let's talk about some cons - or to put it better, some realisations I've had doing this challenge," he continued. "My relationship with alcohol...it was a bit more challenging than I thought it was gonna be.
"The area I live in, there's just so many things that involve drinking, so many activities that involve drinking. When I cut that out, it was like, wow."
The YouTuber explained it dawned on him that he would have probably drank on numerous occasions 'without even thinking about it', rather than for a special event - prompting him to realise the extent of his relationship with drinking.
"Moving forward, I'm just going to be a little bit more aware of when I drink and how much I am drinking," Jordan went on, before discussing the 'most challenging' aspect he faced while giving up booze further.
He told how his social life had taken a hit as he realised that a lot of activities involve drinking, but when your teetotal, 'you don't want to go put yourself in those environments'.
"So you just stay at home and chill," he said. "And you don't really hang out with people too much."
He explained the cold weather also played a part in this, as he couldn't preoccupy himself by heading outdoors.
As well as prompting him to overhaul his relationship with alcohol, Jordan says the challenge gave him new-found admiration for those who don't drink.
"I just did this challenge for 30 days, but there's a lot of people out there even people that are very close to me that live a sober lifestyle," he added.
"That would be very hard to do.You would really have to reformat your whole life, really be aware of your surroundings and that would be very challenging - so to anyone out there that lives that kind of lifestyle, respect to you."
Topics: Alcohol, Food And Drink, Health, Lifestyle, Mental Health, Dry January
Olivia Burke