From sport stars to actors and musicians – celebrities are constantly making headlines for their rocky relationship with alcohol. The unfortunate side effect of being in the spotlight means its heavily reported when they over-indulge and ruin a hotel room during an alcohol-fuelled after-party, drunk-tweet their ex, or post something unsavoury to their social media.
However, there is a growing trend towards a healthier alcohol-free lifestyle, with more individuals (including celebrities) opting to either embrace sobriety, or enjoy switching things up with non-alcoholic beverages as an inbeertweener option.
Sometimes, it is motivated by bad experiences with alcohol, and in other cases it’s just a way to stay mentally sharp and in peak performance. How many from the list below did you know prefer to skip the alcohol?
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CRISTIANO RONALDO
Cristiano Ronaldo is so renowned in his field (pardon the pun), that most who don’t even follow football know his name. Unfortunately, his father died from liver cancer (due to alcohol abuse), and the Portuguese native made the decision to remain sober and alcohol-free 99% of the time.
He occasionally has a sip of champagne or similar on special occasions but said it goes “right to his head”. The added health benefits of this lifestyle choice help keep him in optimum form and fitness – which is definitely evident looking at his amazing sporting achievements. That, and the personal chef and intense gym routine!
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BRADLEY COOPER
Talk about life imitating art – Bradley portrayed the character of Jackson Maine (who struggles with alcoholism and addiction) in the award-winning A Star Is Born film. Cooper himself experienced a similar negative relationship and made the decision to change his lifestyle when he was 29, telling GQ in 2013 “If I continued it, I was really going to sabotage my whole life”.
Since then, he has commented that he feels he has achieved better acting roles and his sobriety has helped put him back on the path to fulfilling his potential, personally and professionally. In fact, Brad Pitt who recently became sober publicly thanked Bradley Cooper as being instrumental in helping him battle his own issues.
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DANIEL RADCLIFFE
It is no understatement to say Radcliffe was transformed from schoolboy to superstar overnight, after landing one of the most coveted roles in the Harry Potter series (the third largest published work in the world, behind The Bible and The Da Vinci Code, according to Nielsen data).
As a young man growing up in front of the public gaze, he admitted to battling an alcohol addiction towards the end of the Harry Potter franchise. He attributed part of this towards anxiety and panic, not knowing what to do next as the filming drew to a close, and not feeling comfortable in his own skin.
There were many nights that ended with a blackout, until in 2010 when he decided to become sober. “It took a few years and it took a couple of attempts” according to Daniel, who realised he had to make changes the second time around.
These included adding physical exercise rather than just relying on pure will. Sometimes his walks are as long as 5 hours anytime he craves a drink. The exercise gives him a natural high and dose of endorphins.
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JENNIFER LOPEZ
J.Lo recently turned 50th and looks F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S, so she’s definitely doing something right! Lopez trains hard and eats a healthy balanced diet, but it’s actually her preference to not drink that she credits with her gorgeous skin.
“I think alcohol ruins your skin” she told InStyle U.S., and she only breaks her rule to toast with a sip of alcohol because her friends say it’s bad luck to toast with water.
It’s true that alcohol can be very dehydrating to the body, and since skin looks healthiest and “youngest” when it’s plumped and hydrated, J.Lo’s belief adds up!
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GOING SOBER OR CUTTING BACK
Many of the celebs on this list did not succeed on their first attempt, or found it challenging to break the bonds with alcohol. The one thing they had in common was dedication, accepting it takes time and coming up with a plan to manage cravings and setbacks.
If cutting back on alcohol or seeking a friendlier alcohol alternative is something of interest, we suggest reading this blog from our founder who made the switch to non-alcoholic beer after wanting to have more control over his mental, emotional and physical wellness.
