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Denzel Washington opened up about how he has quit alcohol for a decade now. He talked about how he is taking care of his body by eating well and working out.
One of the finest actors in Hollywood, Denzel Washington, recently opened up about his journey to sobriety. The actor talked about how he quit alcohol at the age of 60. In a recent interview, he mentioned how he used to drink every day for over 15 years and he is taking care of himself after he has entirely cut off alcohol.
In a conversation with Esquire Magazine, Denzel Washington talked about how he used to drink daily for over a decade. The actor mentioned that he never got ‘strung out’ on alcohol but he would order two bottles of wine every day. He also mentioned that he was so used to drinking alcohol that he built a 10,000-bottle wine cellar in 1999. He said, “Wine was my thing, and now I was popping $4,000 bottles just because that’s what was left, and then later in those years I’d call Gil Turner’s Fine Wines and Spirits on Sunset Boulevard and say, ‘Send me two bottles, the best of this or that.’ And my wife’s saying, ‘Why do you keep ordering just two?’ I said, ‘Because if I order more, I’ll drink more. So I kept it to two bottles, and I would drink them both over the course of the day.”
Washington acknowledged how the alcohol had damaged his body. He said that he has quit alcohol for a decade now. He continued, “I’ve done a lot of damage to the body. We’ll see. I’ve been clean. Be 10 years old this December. I stopped at 60, and I haven’t had a thimble’s worth since. Things are opening up for me now—like being 70. It’s real, and it’s okay.”
In addition to quitting alcohol, Washington has also started eating healthy and has hired a trainer to help him with his workouts. He added, “I’m now 190-something pounds on my way to 185. I was looking at pictures of myself and Pauletta at the Academy Awards for Macbeth, and I’m just looking fat with this dyed hair, and I said, ‘Those days are over, man.’ I feel like I’m getting strong. Strong is important.”
Here are the seven things that happen to your body when you quit alcohol.
- Cutting down or completely quitting alcohol lowers the chances of heart failure. It also reduces the blood pressure.
- Alcohol takes a toll on the liver and leads to fatty liver, cirrhosis, and other problems. Quitting alcohol can help the liver repair itself and even regenerate.
- A glass of wine has 120 calories. Alcohol makes you want to eat more. When you cut off alcohol, it can help you shed a few kilos.
- It can also reduce the risk of certain cancers.
- Alcohol disrupts the REM stage of sleep and even the breathing patterns. Quitting alcohol can improve the quality of your sleep.
- It clears your brain and improves cognitive function.
- It improves physical vitality and also gives a glowing complexion.