1000 Days Without Alcohol: Here’s What Happened

I went sober for 1000 days as a productivity experiment - here's the biggest lessons I learned when I cut alcohol out of my life.

What are the main benefits of going sober? Does going sober make dating harder? How does alcohol affect productivity? How does alcohol affect sleep? Is it difficult to stay social when you're not drinking? And lots of other things.

#productivity #alcohol #personaldevelopment

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[ChrisWillx]

"Alcohol is the only drug where if you don't do it, people assume you have a problem."

[Mecz]

Sobriety delivers everything that alcohol promises.

[BrownGeorge-pwxo]

Alcohol and cigarettes addiction actually destroyed my life. I could remember several years ago after divorce with my wife which brought me into my disastrous journey on Alcohol and cigarettes. I suffered severe depression and mental disorder. Got diagnosed with cptsd. Not until a friend recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment saved my life honestly. 8 years totally clean. Much respect to mother nature the great magic shrooms.

[EverthingsApple]

I’m an alcoholic with 407 days free from any mind altering substances. Recovery isn’t just possible, it’s absolutely beautiful.

[coryryan]

I hit 1000 days today. This video hits the nail on the hit with every point made. I appreciate this. Makes my thoughts feel even more real

[alexsvistunov]

I was drinking half a bottle of whiskey 4 days a week, I've been only 3 weeks sober but already feels like an accomplishment. Even though I still think of alcohol every night, it's videos like this one that hold my strength, thanks brother

[nickiboy]

Ive been sober for 385 days now. Best decision in my life!!! 🎉

[pegboy]

I love the mornings more. I get up and read a couple books, work out. Less Anxiety...more energy. This video is great! Life is Beautiful. Also, i have reached out to more friends then i ever have.

[PanHaszaman]

I stopped for a year, both weed and alcohol. It was the best year of my life! Then hit few bumps, including car accident and ended up drinking, smoking and taking painkillers. Got suicidal and was severely depressed. Today is 44th day since I gave it all up again. I can't even understand my mindset from 50 days ago. This is, again, the best decision I've made in my entire life. It's good to be alive and present!

[MarySpender]

This video helped me make the decision to stop drinking. 23 days so far. x

[MrJK]

I stopped drinking 3 years ago (with the caveat that I have one pint of Guinness and a glass of whiskey whenever I donate blood, which is once every 3 months). I don't think it totally changed my life like it did for Chris, but it has been a positive experience.

1. Productivity: I noticed no change here. I feel that I'm just as productive after giving up alcohol as before. I started reading again because I do have more time, but more for entertainment.

2. Confidence: I don't think my confidence changed much. I am very confident in my own personal skills, but I still suck in group conversations.

3. Dating: I didn't date before, and I don't date now, so I can't compare here.

4. Habits: I started cooking more of my own meals, and I am slightly more physically active. I don't like going to the gym; I find it really boring, but I love hiking and exploring the outdoors. I took up photography as a hobby, and I'm looking into joining an MMA or Jiu-Jitsu gym; maybe this will be more mentally stimulating than a normal gym.

5. Sleep: I can definitely relate to having better sleep when sleeping drunk. I always had trouble getting to sleep after drinking alcohol. There is no benefit to my sleep in general, though I have always been able to get to sleep really quickly. I also don't use an alarm to wake up; I wake up naturally. I think this has been way better for my sleep than quitting alcohol.

6. Lessons: Naturally, I have more money since I don't spend it on alcohol any more. I'm not sure if it's made me more competitive, but I do seem to be getting better opportunities at work and getting selected for better promotions than my colleagues.

7. Better Friends: I have a few very close friends who were all supportive of my decision to stop drinking. Most other people were surprised, but I never received any judgment.

8. Mental Sharpness: I have noticed that I am sharper, wittier, and better at thinking on my feet. I believe this change occurred after several months without alcohol, and I am only now noticing it in retrospect. I used to often think of a response to someone hours after the conversation ended, but that rarely happens any more.

9. Temporary depression: I always hated the day after drinking way too much. The hangover itself is awful, but worse is the deep depression I found myself in for the next day or two. I would often feel an overwhelming loneliness and fear of other people on weekends after drinking on a Friday night. I don't get these feelings any more since I stopped drinking.

10. Personal Integrity: Since I stopped drinking, I have been holding myself to a higher standard. I think more about why I make certain decisions, why I feel certain impulses to eat certain foods, and why I do certain things. Things I thought I did of my own free will were actually the lizard part of my brain chasing another dopamine hit. I have also struggled with anxiety for most of my life, and I never really realized. But now I can critically challenge these instincts, and they no longer control my life.

Overall, stopping drinking was a positive experience, but not life-changing for me. I think it's important to know that quitting alcohol is beneficial, but you still need to put effort into changing yourself for the better; it's not just going to happen by magic because you quit.

I know I still have a lot to do for myself, but this is one less thing holding me back.

[ChristopherKenji]

This kind of made me emotional. I quit drinking 3 years ago after drinking every day for years and I did it pretty much just me against the world without anyone’s help. I honestly have never heard anyone else put it into such perfect words all the exact ways my life changed and also the things I had to change about myself. I tell people whenever they ask about it that I had to get used to not making bad decisions —like it was really weird to be so in control of my life and my actions. I also really resonated with the having to learn how to be confident because I always used to think I needed alcohol for me to be fun to be around or romantically desirable because I wasn’t good enough just on my own. I usually never say this about anything but everything and I mean EVERY single point was spot on about how I felt/how I feel today. This video was a real trip for me. Thanks so much for sharing this —it means so much more than you could possibly know 🙏🏼

[pjtanner]

After listening to this at 8 in the morning while washing dishes after breakfast, I dumped a handle of Kentucky Bourbon down the drain. I almost cried I felt so happy. Let’s do this! Thanks Chris.

[mrjackson]

Been clean and sober for 14 months. I’m 43 and have struggled my entire adult life. This video is bang on. I’ve experienced everything thing he’s talking. So grateful for my sobriety and better life.

[Matty]

427 days and going strong. I haven't once even fancied a drink and now have my confidence back to be around drunk people without feeling the need to drink. I'm think being sober is literally a super power. I'm on the ball at all moments in my life I love it.

[paulcottrell]

I really liked your description of a hangover as ‘acute self induced depression’. That’s a real haymaker 🙏

[mickritchie]

Nearly 2 years now. At 52 I’ve never felt better. Gave me the confidence to quit smoking also. 5 months without a smoke after 35 years. Better relationship with the wife and the added bonus of getting real good at golf. No downsides to quitting. 👍🏻

[LeeAdrian]

I think most people’s “friends” are just drinking buddies.

[KireEveryGame]

About 300 days sober and this video was super relatable. Put into words a lot of things I've discovered while choosing not to drink over this time frame. Also the quote of "Alcohol is the only drug where if you don't do it, people assume you have a problem" is great, well said!

[jakebolling]

Very well spoken. I’ve been sober for about 2 years now, and this is pretty much exactly how it’s felt. Crazy how fast life changes!