{"id":67110,"date":"2023-09-13T08:34:58","date_gmt":"2023-09-13T08:34:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rapidcelnews.com\/?p=67110"},"modified":"2023-09-13T08:34:58","modified_gmt":"2023-09-13T08:34:58","slug":"dad-who-sank-30-pints-a-weekend-unrecognisable-two-years-after-ditching-booze","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rapidcelnews.com\/lifestyle\/dad-who-sank-30-pints-a-weekend-unrecognisable-two-years-after-ditching-booze\/","title":{"rendered":"Dad who sank 30 pints a weekend unrecognisable two years after ditching booze"},"content":{"rendered":"
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    A British dad who swapped beer for water and pubs for gyms is unrecognisable two years after going teetotal.<\/p>\n

    Graham Todd, 44, transformed after he was filmed drunkenly downing a shot before he later passed out in a car park.<\/p>\n

    He has not had a drop of alcohol since shaming himself into action.<\/p>\n

    READ MORE: 'I gouged my own eyes out while high on meth \u2013 but life is very different five years on' <\/b><\/p>\n

    The Warwick lad described himself as a former binge drinker who used to guzzle up to 30 pints every weekend.<\/p>\n

    But he now looks and feels like a new person after dropping three stone by replacing boozy sessions with a strict fitness regime.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    And speaking to Daily Star about his lightbulb moment in September 2021, he said: \u201cI had been to a business event that I was running and I saw the photos from it and I just looked horrendous.<\/p>\n

    \u201cI passed out in a car park\u2026 it all just came to a point.<\/p>\n

    \u201cLots of people have a moment where they are done and I just didn\u2019t want mine to be crashing by drink driving or killing someone.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Graham first drank when he was 15 \u2013 and it was a constant in his life for the next 30 years.<\/p>\n

    It became even more prevalent in 2013, when he launched his own marketing company called Spaghetti Agency.<\/p>\n

    He then had the freedom to make it a daily habit and his health gradually worsened.<\/p>\n

    Ominous blood test results highlighted some \u201cserious s***\u201d six years ago and he even had hypnosis done to stop himself from ordering a beer on weekdays.<\/p>\n

    But seeing pictures of himself bladdered after the business meetup was the catalyst for change.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    He remembered: \u201cWhen I saw the pictures I just looked like a bomb, jeans hanging off my a**e, T-shirt barely fitting, skin looked awful, hair, the whole demeanour of me did not look like a successful person.<\/p>\n

    \u201cIt happened so gradually and even my partner will say now, \u2018I can\u2019t believe you got that big, when did that happen\u2019?<\/p>\n

    \u201cIt was day by day and now I am learning that it is the same on the way down, it takes ages to get back.\u201d<\/p>\n

    And asked whether abandoning the bottle was the inspiration to get fit, he said: \u201cMassively. Quitting drinking on its own will not help you get fit and healthy.<\/p>\n

    \u201cBut what drinking did was force me to do something else, so within about five days I signed up with an online trainer.<\/p>\n

    \u201cI stopped drinking and just became obsessed with hit workouts in the garage and I now go to the gym every day.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    \u201cI prep all my food, drink loads of water, and take the right vitamins. This has created a huge gap in my life and instead of filling it with chocolates, sweets and junk food or other addictions like gambling or pornography, I very consciously added in another addiction which was fitness.<\/p>\n

    \u201cIt is a really great thing to add in obviously but part of that was driven by the fact I wanted to look good on stage and that was one of the reasons I quit and I am now in the best shape I have been in a very very long time.<\/p>\n

    \u201cIt has genuinely changed my life and it is very rare you can say that and it be true.\u201d<\/p>\n

    As for looking at before and after snaps, he added: \u201cIt is sometimes quite strange and you think \u2018wow was that really me\u2019? <\/p>\n

    \u201cI look at pictures of myself two or three years ago and it doesn\u2019t actually look like me. <\/p>\n

    \u201cIt is like, did that actually happen and it is like I have woken up from a dream. It is a very surreal experience and a scary one too, I actually dream of drinking beer by accident and stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Graham started his teetotal journey by announcing it on Facebook in a bid to keep himself accountable.<\/p>\n

    He also told people about his wish not to drink whenever he socialised. <\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    The dad-of-two now shares his experiences on TikTok, where the number one question he gets asked is what it is like being sober in boozy environments. <\/p>\n

    He said: \u201cThe answer is, it is different and it can be strange.<\/p>\n

    \u201cPeople fear that they will be questioned about it, like 'why have you done that, you can have a couple', you feel like you have left your flock or troop of people.<\/p>\n

    \u201cPeople worry they will have to keep explaining why they\u2019ve done it so I just explained it loads before I went out.<\/p>\n

    \u201cA lot of people don\u2019t realise how much alcohol helps you be the person you are because it lowers your anxiety and it gives you more confidence and it shuts down parts of your brain so you are a different person and you have to go out as the real you.<\/p>\n

    \u201cIt is scary for people because they have to confront themselves, like who am I?<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    \u201cThey have to hold a conversation with a stranger in a bar or restaurant or from business meetings to dating, it is quite scary for some people. <\/p>\n

    \u201cAnd for me my whole adult life I have never gone out without it.<\/p>\n

    \u201cNow it is just different and to be honest it was more fun in inverted commas when I was drunk but the downsides of that far outweigh the benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Graham acknowledged that he occasionally misses drink, describing these as trigger moments.<\/p>\n

    They can range from the sun shining on a bank holiday to experiencing highs or lows.<\/p>\n

    To combat the temptation, Graham immediately drinks water and reminds himself why he is doing it.<\/p>\n

    And one of the reasons, aside from looking and feeling transformed, is to be a better person. <\/p>\n

    Concluding, he explained: \u201cI am a better partner and without realising, it was troubling my current relationship, she wasn\u2019t enjoying my lifestyle and she was afraid to approach the conversation so I am not sure how long that would have continued.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    \u201cI\u2019ve also just had the best month in business that I have had in ten years. My relationships with my team and my friends are fantastic.<\/p>\n

    \u201cIt is all better and I have gained new friends, people I work out with. It has had a huge impact, not just physical.<\/p>\n

    \u201cI don\u2019t think there is any chance I will sabotage it now. I created this whole new mission in life to help other people so it is far greater than me which has really helped.\u201d<\/p>\n

    To follow Graham's progression on TikTok, you can do so here. <\/i><\/b><\/p>\n