A BINGE-drinker and “weekend offender”, Nathan Knight slowly piled on weight until he reached 15st – but got ripped and sober after a humiliating breakfast with his partner’s parents.
The now-27-year-old was left feeling “ashamed and disgusted” with himself after he downed beers while others drank their morning and acted “erratic”.
Nathan Knight reached 15st thanks to drugs and 15-pint sessions with his mates Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media
But he became ripped after getting sober in October 2024 Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media
Nathan said: “Within a month of knowing her [his partner] I went out to Marbella with her family and I was acting erratic.
“I would wake up in the morning and would be drinking beer while they were all having their breakfast.
“I was ashamed and disgusted [at my behaviour].
“I was ashamed of what I looked like, I can’t even look back at the photos as I knew I looked ill.”
Nathan felt ashamed of himself after a trip to Marbella with his partner’s parents Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media
He felt ashamed of what he looked like too Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media
The holiday acted as a turning point for Nathan, who realised he needed to change in order for the relationship to work.
He quit drinking in October 2024 and now 20 months sober, Nathan credits meeting his new partner for “saving his life”.
He has also now lost three stone, dropping from 15st 2lbs to 12st 2lbs by swapping his boozy weekend bingesforo five sessions at the gym a week.
Now, Nathan is sharing his sobriety journey to inspire others struggling with and substance abuse.
He first began to experiment with and alcohol aged 15 when he attended house parties with older friends.
Nathan said he then quickly fell into £750 weekend binges where he would drink up to 15 pints a night, take “any drugs he could get his hands on” and gamble.
In his early 20s he tried to remain in shape by going to the gym but his efforts were hampered by his partying.
Nathan, from Farnham, Surrey, said: “I was a binge drinker and weekend offender and because I had nothing going on with my life I would go out and ruin it even more.
Nathan would drink up to 15-pints on nights with his mates Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media
‘I had nothing going on with my life I would go out and ruin it even more,’ he says now Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media
“It would be all weekend and I wouldn’t want to stop. I would wake up hungover and continue drinking as I wouldn’t want to get that [post-drink] anxiety.”
Nathan also got hooked on ketamine, using up to 3.5 grams of the drug a day at his worst.
The sales advisor, who lived with his mum at the time, tried to go sober in 2022 but said it only lasted seven months before a spontaneous pub trip escalated into a four-day bender.
“At this age you don’t have , so I would be taking any drugs I could get my hands on,” he explained.
“I was a social butterfly and when I was drinking, I would be very outgoing and try to be funny with everyone and I’d take whatever I was given whether this was ketamine or cocaine.
“I was just trying to get away from my actual real life, I didn’t want to be sober.
“At the time I would be getting £750 a week and I would spend it all on the weekend. This would go on alcohol, drugs and .
“In lockdown I was 22 and I would be sitting in my room. I’d be doing it [ketamine] sober every day.
Nathan used to go to the gym but never saw any results until he quit drinking Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media
Nathan also plays football alongside his gym sessions Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media
“This went on for a year-and-a-half and I was living with my mum at the time.
“There would be times when she’d ring the ambulance because she thought I was dying but I’d be in a K-hole.”
When Nathan met his new partner in July 2024, this was a turning point for his – as was the disastrous trip to Marbella.
“I knew I needed to make a change to save this relationship, I knew then it was time,” the 27-year-old recalled.
“I had an overwhelming epiphany and I said I was never drinking [or doing drugs] again.”
During his drug binges Nathan claims he wouldn’t eat, but would then have a whole large and a “couple-sized” Chinese takeaway within 24 hours.
Nathan now opts for a high-protein diet and has a green smoothie every day for breakfast.
Alongside his gym sessions he now also plays twice a week and says daily tasks such as walking up the stairs feels easier after going sober and losing weight.
Nathan says his life has completely changed now Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media
When he does go out he opts for alcohol-free pints Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media
Nathan said: “I’ve always had a love for the gym and exercise but I never had that routine or the consistency because I would go out on these binges.
“I never saw any real changes in my body until I went sober 20 months ago. Now when I look back, I think ‘how did I let myself get like that?’.
“Since I’ve stopped drinking alcohol not only has my anxiety diminished, I never had more money, I’ve never been doing better at work and personal relationships are better.
“It’s completely changed my life. I look back at the person I was 20 months ago and I know I would have ended up dead or would have gone to prison.”
Nathan is now sharing his sobriety journey to show others you can make a recovery and turn your life around.
He says one thing that has helped him stay sober is not restricting himself from attending social events, instead opting for alcohol-free drinks.
Nathan said: “You just need to take one day at a time. The days will accumulate fast and before you know it you have made a huge difference in your life, and there’s a way ou, t and drugs mask the reality of actual life.
“It’s only when you take a step away from it and you’re not drinking or taking drugs that you realise the effect it has had on you and the people around you as well.
“I think [not throwing myself into social situations] is why I relapsed when I went sober for seven months.
“[Now] I still go to social events and I socialise and be around people that are drinking and I’m fine with it.”
Get help for your drinking
IF you think you might have a problem with booze then you should seek help.
This might be the case if you often feel the need to have a drink or if you get into trouble because of your drinking.
If other people have warned you about your drink and it’s causing you problems then a good place to start is your GP.
There are other places you can go to get help:
- Drinkline: Call 0300 123 1110 (weekdays 9am to 8pm, weekends 11am to 4pm).
- AA – a free self help group that follows the 12 step programme
- Al-Anon Family Groups – a group for friends and family members impacted by drinking
- We Are With You – for individuals, families and communities struggling – call 0808 8010 750 – if you’re over 50 and worried about booze
- Adfam – local support groups and message boards
- National Association for Children of Alcoholics (Nacoa) – call 0800 358 3456
- SMART Recovery – to help people discover if they have a problem
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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