Without alcohol, I discovered flavours I had never noticed before – the story of Gil, Luis and Daniel Resendes

The 2 brothers Luis and Daniel and their father Gil from Portugal decided to embark on a 3-month fitness challenge, part of which was to be free from alcohol during the period. The initial idea came from Luis, and as soon as he talked about it with his brother and father, they decided to do it all together.

Luis explains: "I had seen this challenge on social media and started talking about it during a trip to Scotland with Daniel and our father. We then decided to start the challenge in January 2024. We shared our achievements with others each day, which was fundamental to staying motivated".

Besides going alcohol-free, the challenge involved 2 physical workouts per day, of 45 minutes, 1 of which had to be outdoors; reading 10 pages of a non-fiction book per day; drinking 3 litres of water per day; and adopting a healthy diet.

Mixed reactions from friends about quitting alcohol

"What motivated me to join the challenge was wanting to lose a bit of weight. We are generally a very active family; Luis and Daniel have been practicing sports since they were kids, and it has always been important for me too. But lately, with age and friends who invite me to eat and drink alcohol, I started gaining some weight," explains Gil.

"I have a group of friends that I meet for lunch every Thursday, and part of this has always been alcohol to accompany the food. When I suddenly stopped drinking alcohol, some of my friends were curious, so I told them about the challenge. Their reactions were mainly positive, even though they made a joke or two, there was a certain admiration that I had stopped drinking just like that. It made me feel proud," Gil continues.

On the other hand, Daniel received little support from his friends regarding his decision to stop drinking alcohol: "Most people find it strange if you don't drink alcohol. Whenever I was with friends, I had to justify why I wasn't drinking alcohol".

The unexpected benefits of an alcohol-free life

Despite these negative reactions, the 3 men noticed some surprising benefits from giving up alcohol. Daniel shares: "One of the things I started to enjoy more was going out at night. Sometimes, when I was drinking alcohol, I didn't want to go out because I already knew that I would feel bad the next day. Going out without drinking has been an interesting social experience that I had never had before. Now I know that I can enjoy going out, dancing and talking to people without any alcohol. It is good to know that I have this capability. Plus, the fact that I was waking up the next morning feeling good made me more willing to go out, which I actually didn't expect to happen".

Luis adds that for him, having meals without alcohol has been a great experience. "There are many people here in Portugal who drink alcohol during lunch or dinner. What surprised me was that during some meals, drinking only water allowed me to fully appreciate what I was eating. I discovered flavours I had never noticed before."

In addition to that, the fact that the challenge included 2 workouts per day made it easier for the 3 men to stop drinking alcohol. "If you do 2 relatively tough workouts per day, and you drink, you are screwed. So, the challenge itself encourages you not to drink. It ends up being a cyclical thing: if you drink, it's impossible to do those workouts," explains Luis.

Long-lasting effects of the fitness challenge

All 3 men said that embarking on this challenge made them become more physically active. In addition to that, they have also noticed some changes in their alcohol consumption that extended beyond the challenge. "It changed my behaviour regarding alcohol. I have health concerns, so from now on, I will drink less and less. And when I say less, it was already little before, and now it is even less," says Gil.

"We actually never drank much alcohol at home, and always talked about its negative impact on our health," adds Daniel. "I think many people don't realize the harms alcohol does over the years. It increases the risk of cancer and many other diseases, even if you drink just a bit every day. People only associate the risk with alcohol when they drink a lot and feel bad the next day, but that is not how it works. One thing I realized is that I can meet with my friends and just have coffee or another alcohol-free drink. It is perfectly possible and so much healthier."

Finding support and more information

If you, or someone you know, is experiencing harms from alcohol, it is important to reach out for help. You can find support on your national health ministry website, or by consulting your doctor.

Gil, Luis and Daniel Resendes shared their story with us for the "Redefine Alcohol" campaign. This campaign is part of the WHO European Union (EU)-funded project "Evidence into Action on Alcohol (EVID-ACTION)", which aims to increase awareness about harms from alcohol across 30 countries - the 27 EU Member States plus Iceland, Norway and Ukraine - from 2022 to 2026.

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