England’s Test captain Ben Stokes has revealed that he has given up alcohol to recover from a hamstring injury, which he suffered in December in a Test match in New Zealand.
According to media reports, the all-rounder has stopped drinking alcohol since 2nd January this year, making a lifestyle shift for the all-rounder.
Stokes has admitted that his previous drinking habits were “all or nothing” and had begun to affect both his physical recovery and personal well-being.
The 33-year-old spoke on the Untapped podcast, saying, “After my first major injury, I remember the shock of it, after the initial adrenaline had stopped, thinking: ‘How has this happened? We did have a bit of a drink four or five nights ago, could that have played a part? It wouldn’t have helped.’
“Then I was like: ‘OK, I need to start changing what I do.’ I don’t think I’ll ever be completely sober, but I’ve not had a drink since 2 January. I said to myself: ‘Not until I finish my injury rehab and get back on the field.’ I think the day I wake up and can’t be bothered to do the training program is getting towards that time when you don’t want it anymore. But I haven’t got any interest in stopping.
“It’s just getting harder to do everything. Hence why now I feel like I have to work so much harder away from the field, in the gym, and all that kind of stuff to just give me the best chance of being out there to perform. But I’ll keep going as long as I possibly can.”
