A YouTuber recently shared his experience after 1,000 days of giving up alcohol.
In the video, Clark Kegley opened up about his heavy drinking in his 20s.
Travelling and connecting with new people, he found that drinking often became a go-to way to bond, whether it was hanging out with bands, meeting business contacts, or just socialising.
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Drinking felt like a 'positive way to connect' and helped him come out of his shell.
As an entrepreneur, especially during lockdown, he started looking forward to the 5pm evening drink every night.
"It got to a point where I was having six drinks a night, seven days a week," Clark admitted.
Realising he wanted a change, he committed to going sober for 30 days and soon noticed how much it transformed his life.
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He described not having a rock bottom moment but deciding to go sober for thirty days.
Clark’s first discoveries, the 'top of the iceberg' included improved sleep, mental clarity, and a major reduction in what he calls “hangxiety” - waking up feeling both anxious and hungover.
"In as little as 21 days, my mental sharpness went up [...] probably say 20 percent," he added.
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Not to mention, he saved a lot of money by skipping the bar.
Around the 90-day mark, Clark noticed more long-term effects.
Performance became steadier with no more up-and-down confidence boosts from drinking.
Drinking tends to boost charisma, where you feel like you're performing better at whatever you're doing. But with these fluctuations can come heavy comedowns.
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However, after stopping, Clark noticed a 'more consistent baseline' where he maintained a more consistent self.
He also described building more genuine relationships, not just ones tied to the commonality of drinking.
"I got more respect for not drinking," Clark said.
"The conversations you'll get from people are really great and deep. You'll connect with people who also don't drink and you're instant friends that way."
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Between nine months and a year, the benefits only got stronger.
One major benefit Clark noticed with no more wasted mornings feeling hungover, he realised he had more time to do the things he wanted.
"I was able to rediscover a lot of hobbies that I had and pick up some new ones that I fell in love with," Clark continued. "Things became more enjoyable."
Even mundane activities like cleaning the dishes and sitting through a flight became more enjoyable and no longer 'tolerated' with the addition of alcohol.
"Alcohol makes you tolerate things way better which is very dangerous," Clark pointed out.
"Discomfort is where all your lessons are, it's a 'check engine' light on your psychological dashboard."
In order to grow and develop, he mentions we must face discomfort and not cover it with bad habits like drinking.
Finally, after two years sober, Clark discovered a shift in his values.
Instead of running off the goals he had from his 18-year-old self, he re-evaluated what he wanted out of life.
His final piece of advice was to 'find the authentic drive.'
Instead of viewing quitting alcohol as losing something, he thought of it as gaining something.