I feel like a new man – Matt Redman-Hall

Why would I swap rational clarity and joy for fuzzy-headed numbness and ‘meh’?

“Why would I swap rational clarity and joy for fuzzy-headed numbness and ‘meh’?”

On a sunny Sunday afternoon in May 2020, I sat on the back deck with my spaniel, Bert, nursing what I truly hope will be my last hangover. I was 55 years old, head pounding, cigarette in hand, staring at a wasted day and an even more wasted version of myself.

I didn’t think I was a heavy drinker. I saw myself as someone who simply liked a “good drink” and believed that alcohol had given me more than it had taken. I even subscribed to Churchill’s famous line that he had taken more out of alcohol than alcohol had taken out of him.

I was deluded.

Before my alcohol-free challenge

In reality, my “normal” looked like this:

• 4–6 cans of beer every night, most nights

• The best part of a bottle or two of supermarket wine to round off the evening

• At parties or nights out, drinking until I literally couldn’t drink anymore

I told myself it was fine because I still functioned:

• I got up

• I cooked the bacon butties

• I turned up for life (sort of)

• And then I did it all again

What I didn’t see clearly was the impact this was having:

• On my body (passing out rather than falling asleep)

• On my mind (constant “meh” about past, present and future)

• And most importantly, on my wife, family and friends

Later, it was explained to me:

“It was like walking on eggshells around you when you’d had a drink.”

I thought I had an “optimised lifestyle”. In truth, I was stuck in a loop:

Get up → function → drink → pass out → repeat.

The moment everything shifted

Back to that Sunday on the deck: the day everything changed.

The world was already in turmoil with the pandemic, but a different kind of reckoning was happening inside my own head. I’d recently done:

• A Day Camp with Ant Middleton (SAS: Who Dares Wins)

• Ollie Ollerton’s tour in London

Their books had already started nudging me towards the idea of being “the best version of myself”.

Ollie’s book “Battle Ready” hit a nerve. He spoke very candidly about his own struggle with alcohol and what he did to turn it around.

The first few times I read or listened to it, I thought:

“Good on you, Ollie, you clearly needed sorting out. That’s not me though. I’m not at that stage… yet.”

But reading it again, hungover and flat on that Sunday in May, something finally clicked:

“Enough is enough.”

At 3pm I stubbed out my last cigarette, went inside, made a coffee, picked up my phone and searched for “One Year No Beer” – the group Ollie had recommended.

If it was good enough for him, it was good enough for me.

Starting my OYNB alcohol-free challenge

I didn’t exactly burst in full of confidence.

• For almost a week I had “watching days”

• I lurked on the website

• I didn’t drink, but I also didn’t tell my wife what I was doing

• I was genuinely unsure if it would “stick”

• 
  

About seven days in, with a clearer head and a stronger intention, I finally:

• Signed up for the 28-Day Challenge

• Told my wife what I was doing

• Stepped into a brave new world

My initial mindset was simple:

Just get to 28 days. If I can do that, great. My liver will be grateful and I can tick it off as a solid break.

What I didn’t expect was how quickly things would begin to change.

The outcome so far

Physically, I feel like a new man:

• I’ve rediscovered my love of running

• I’m fitter and faster than I’ve been in years

• My sleep is consistently better – real, deep, restorative sleep

Mentally and emotionally:

• My head is constantly clear

• My focus and productivity have skyrocketed

• I’m less grumpy (no one’s perfect, but the shift is noticeable!)

• My wife is both supportive and slightly amazed that I’m still going strong over 100 days later

I even:

• Spent 14 days on a sunny holiday abroad completely alcohol-free

• Not only survived it – I actually enjoyed it

In my business:

• I’m more organised

• I’m more productive

• I have mornings, evenings and full chunks of the day back that were previously lost to hangovers or lethargy

And financially:

• I’ve saved a bundle of cash – the numbers in my tracking app are honestly shocking

• Seeing what I used to hand over every month to booze (and cigarettes) is like giving myself a pay rise I never thought possible

The power of the OYNB community

The first thing that hit me was the Tribe.

From my very first post, there was:

• A wave of positivity

• Messages from all over the world

• A feeling of being welcomed like a long-lost son

I realised very quickly:

I was absolutely not alone.

The second major pillar was the daily emails and videos:

• Landing at 06:00 UK time

• A smiling face and a boost of motivation right at the start of the day

• Each message a small nudge keeping my mind on track

Working through that daily content has been incredibly powerful. Yes, my book budget has taken a hit from all the recommendations – but I can afford it now. I’m not pouring money into booze and fags.

Extending the challenge

My original plan was:

• 28 days

• Get the break

• See what happens

But then:

• 28 days came and went

• I marked it with a small victory and even bought the enamel pin badge from the OYNB store

• Then I drifted naturally into aiming for 90 days

• Another milestone, another win

Now I’m committed to:

• 365 days alcohol-free

• And, honestly, very likely beyond

Because when I look at it clearly, I can’t see the point in going back.

Why would I swap rational clarity and joy for fuzzy-headed numbness and ‘meh’?

My new relationship with alcohol

Alcohol and I now have new boundaries – let’s call it:

A moat-and-drawbridge relationship.

• I’m in my warm, secure castle, fully armed with clarity, energy and self-respect

• Alcohol is outside in the rain, uninvited and unwelcome

I don’t feel deprived. I feel liberated.

I’m not anti-people-who-drink. I just know, without question, what’s right for me.

Would I recommend OYNB?

Absolutely. Unequivocally.

If you want to:

• Refresh your relationship with alcohol

• Challenge your assumptions

• See what your life looks like without the fuzziness and the “meh”

Then:

28, 90 or 365 days – go on, I dare you.