Sober Role Models in a Drinking Culture
You’d be forgiven for thinking that the entire world drinks. The multi-billion dollar drinks industry have the financial muscle to market their bottled poison across your medium of choice.
It might be the next Hollywood starlet coolly sipping on her cocktail attracting the furtive glances of a man across the room. Maybe a TV commercial gently nudging you toward a cool beer, neatly wrapped around a primetime slot of the big match. Or even your social media stream pointing you to a cocktail party thanks to sponsored ads tailored to your interests.
With alcohol seemingly everywhere and social events fuelled by it, in the face of this noise you’d be forgiven for thinking that you are alone. You are not alone. There was a time when cigarette smoking was considered not only sexy, but also healthy. Now, there are more non-smokers in the world than smokers. Education is a large part of changing the paradigm and people’s thinking.
The importance of having a role model in life can’t be overstated. This is particularly the case when transitioning to a new way of living. Bumps in the road can not only be carefully avoided, but the dangers that lay ahead have been identified by someone who has travelled that road. A mentor doesn’t necessarily have to be aware of your interest, nor do they have to be personally connected to you.
The following list of people have either abstained from alcohol all their life, or finally decided to bin the booze (2017). Most are household names, or have achieved a high degree of success in their respective fields. For a significant number, that success was achieved when they removed alcohol from their lives.
It is interesting to note that there are some very charismatic and big characters on this list. This again reinforces the fact that we don’t need a liquid stimulant to turn on the charm.
N.B. It’s also probably the only list on the internet where you’ll both find Mahatma Gandhi and Kim Cattrall.
Muhammad Ali Alec Baldwin Tyra Banks David Beckham Chuck Berry Brian Blessed David Bowie Frankie Boyle Russell Brand Warren Buffett Gerard Butler Naomi Campbell Jim Carrey Kim Cattrall Eric Clapton Billy Connolly Alice Cooper Bradley Cooper Tom Cruise Lana Del Rey Robert Downey Jr Thomas Edison Larry Ellison Colin Farrell James Franco Mahatma Gandhi Calvin Harris Blake Lively Jessie J Samuel L. Jackson Steve Jobs Elton John Peter Kay Stephen King Bruce Lee Leona Lewis Jennifer Lopez Chris Martin Kelly Osbourne Simon Pegg Natalie Portman Cristiano Ronaldo Donald Trump Shania Twain Florence Welch