“I love and respect myself so much more” – Bradley Bennett

“There have been so many positives to this journey; mental clarity, focus and revitalised self care.”

From “just a bigger guy” to taking his life back

For the last five years I’ve been living and working in London, having moved from a small town in Australia. On the surface things looked fine – sometimes even “great” – but underneath I was stuck.

Work stress kept creeping up. My outlook was getting more negative. And as that grew, so did my drinking.

• 40–60+ units a week

• Drinks at work, after work, at football, at events

• Craft beer “hunting” that was really just an excuse to drink more

Alcohol became the way I had fun. I felt terrible, stopped exercising, and drifted into obesity, even though people called me “just a bigger guy”. My dating and social life were inconsistent because I preferred to hide away. I felt like a failure with no real hope things would change.

Choosing the OYNB challenge was my way of saying:I’ve had enough. I deserve better.

Trying (and failing) to moderate

I’d tried to go alcohol-free before and made it about 5–6 weeks. Then I told myself I could “moderate”.

I really don’t think I can.

This time I signed up for the OYNB 90-Day Challenge – and even just making that decision brought relief, focus and energy.

Very quickly, things started to shift:

• Back to playing 5-a-side

• Training 3–5 times a week

• Planning my meals and sticking to them

• Consistent ROMWOD (yoga)

• Actually having time and mental space to think about what I want from life

I even started doing small but meaningful things, like buying plants for my flat and turning it into somewhere I like being. Those “little” changes felt huge.

I went on holiday to Lisbon with friends I used to drink heavily with – and had just as much fun alcohol-free.

The benefits so far

This journey has changed more than just my drinking:

• Weight loss: down 13kg / 28.5lbs / 2 stone – I had to buy new clothes

• Fitness: training steadily for a half marathon

• Mind: I read a full book for the first time in years

• Habits: I haven’t bitten my fingernails in over a month

• Self-worth: I love and respect myself so much more

And then there’s the big three the quote sums up:

Mental clarity. Focus. Revitalised self care.

The daily OYNB emails keep me on track, and the community gives me people I can actually relate to. There are so many in the group who inspire me and prove what’s possible.

Building the life I really want

Life still isn’t “perfect” and I know I’ve got a long way to go. But now:

• I’m consistent

• I’m present

• I’m building routines that support me, not destroy me

Most importantly, I finally feel like I’m on the right path to living my best life.

And that all started with one decision:to change my relationship with alcohol.