Upgrade Your Life by Taking a Break from Alcohol: Clifford Stephen's Revolutionary "Booze Vacation"

Discover the transformative power of taking a break from alcohol with our guest Clifford Stephen, the visionary founder of Booze Vacation.

This episode promises to uncover the incredible health and well-being benefits of what Clifford calls a "booze vacation," particularly for high-performing men.

Learn how even small amounts of alcohol can significantly impact your physical, mental, and emotional health and why it's crucial to reassess your drinking habits as you age.

Join us as we tackle the societal norms that have made alcohol consumption a staple in social and professional settings, often to the detriment of our health. Clifford shares his journey and offers eye-opening insights into the negative effects of alcohol on sleep, productivity, and metabolic health.

We discuss the challenges men face in reevaluating their relationship with alcohol and how prioritizing health can lead to substantial benefits, such as improved cardiovascular health, better sleep, and an enhanced quality of life.

This episode is packed with real-life success stories, from individuals who have lost weight to those who have experienced a surge in energy and productivity. Clifford emphasizes the importance of a supportive community and understanding one's reasons for drinking.

His balanced approach to smarter alcohol consumption offers a refreshing perspective. He encourages listeners to consider a booze vacation a powerful tool for achieving unparalleled health and success. Don't miss this compelling conversation that could spark your next big life upgrade.

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Transcript

Dai Manuel: 0:03

Welcome back to another exciting episode of the 2% Solution Podcast. I'm your host, diamond Well, and today I'm thrilled to have a conversation that might just change your life. Could you imagine taking a vacation from alcohol? Yeah, you heard that right, it's called a booze vacation. Now, it's not like the Contiki tour. My 21-year-old daughter just got back from a six-week trip. That's a very different type of booze vacation.

Dai Manuel: 0:31

Our guest today Clifford Stephen, the founder of Booze Vacation, a health and wellness company dedicated to helping high-performing men elevate their lives by taking a break from alcohol. Elevate their lives by taking a break from alcohol. Clifford is not just another wellness advocate. He's a man who turned his personal journey into a mission to help others achieve unparalleled health and success. In today's episode, clifford will share insights on how even small amounts of alcohol can erode our health and happiness, the biggest obstacles men face regarding their drinking habits, and how taking a booze vacation can be one of the most powerful tools for weight loss and overall well-being.

Dai Manuel: 1:11

Trust me, you don't want to miss this, so grab your coffee or your tea and get ready to dive into a conversation that could be the catalyst for your next big life upgrade. And if you find value in today's episode. Make sure to subscribe, leave a review and share it with your friends, because sharing is caring. Now let's welcome Clifford Stephen to the show. Welcome back to the 2% Solution Podcast, everyone. I'm stoked. As you heard in the introduction, I got an amazing guest today, clifford Stephen, and Clifford's also one of the founders of the Booze Vacation, which we're going to get into momentarily. But before we dive into that, I want to welcome Clifford to the show. Welcome.

Clifford Stephan: 1:52

Clifford. Hey, great to be here. Thanks so much for having me Appreciate it.

Dai Manuel: 1:56

You know, man, ever since we had our last conversation, I've really enjoyed sort of following the feeds and seeing what's been coming up, and I know we'll have an opportunity to dive into that. But before we jump into that today, you know, the premise of the show is this idea of the 2% solution. It's how can we best commit 30 minutes or 2% of every 24 hours to see the changes through that we all identify, that we want to make, because you know anybody that sort of sits with that question. Is there anything that I would love to change in my life? Everyone's got a list of things, you know, whether it be their health, their mental health, their physical health, their financial health. There's something there and I'd love to hear you know what. What's been the habit, your 2% commitment that's led to you achieving some of the results that you've achieved, but also I know it's also led to the creation of Boo's Vacation. So I know that we're sort of going to get into both of those, but that'd be a great question for us to open up with today.

Clifford Stephan: 2:47

Yeah, you know I, after you know a little bit of my backstory, real, you know, played a lot of sports, real, physically active, real, you know, socially active, and you know kind of getting in my thirties and forties starting to kind of feel, you know, wear and tear and probably some effects of alcohol. So yeah, I threw the kitchen sink. You know I had a degree in nutritional science. I, you know, you know so, a lot of diet modifications, a lot of supplements. Then you know meditation, you know kind of you name it and you know kind of got a lot of results that disappointed. And so you know, I think my advice would be to, if you are, you know, you know I'm, you know in your forties, you know thirties to fifties, as a male, kind of getting stuck in that you know alcohol is fun, friends, events, reward system, culture.

Clifford Stephan: 3:34

You know just kind of taking a closer look at your alcohol use because you know, it's so pervasive at work and at play and it does really negatively affect all organ functions and systems in your body.

Clifford Stephan: 3:47

And when you're associating with funds, when you're trying to be social and you're trying to, you know, blow off some steam, you know, when it's so embedded in our culture it could just be really tricky, as you age and with wear and tear, to kind of be in peak states and to have good habits and you to have discipline. So I think that's really the master, master key that I'm. I'm kind of I'm banging the gong on today because it does, you know, it does just make your body and mind and system just work a lot better and and you just kind of be in a better state and more level. So you can kind of start start, you know, kind of making some inroads on, you know, whatever it is you're trying to accomplish, whether it's a business or, you know, optimal weight or optimal relationships. It's a big deal. So that's the first thing that comes to mind.

Dai Manuel: 4:37

Well, well, that's great. I appreciate sort of that intentional break people can take and sort of how. Your position I thought, was very novel because, you know, being someone that hasn't had any alcohol for 15 years, it's it's not even a thought for me anymore, right. But I do remember during those early days. You know, especially that first six to 12 months it was challenging because I was constantly thinking every day this is something I'm not going to do, something I'm not going do right, and constantly reaffirming I will not do that, but I'm going to do this instead.

Dai Manuel: 5:07

And then eventually it just got to a place where it was just like it wasn't even afterthought, you know. It was like sort of a lifestyle that emerged without alcohol in it. And I'm not saying that that is the solution, right, and I know that's not what you're saying either, and I guess you know why. Don't we go back and start about, like, what was that inspiration? You know that that led to the creation of booze vacation and for those that are still aren't clear on what is that, maybe just give us a quick overview of what that is.

Clifford Stephan: 5:34

Sure, yeah, a lot of people hear booze vacation and they go, oh, that's like a lot of fun, and then they hear what it is. I don't like. I like that, which is funny in and of itself. But yeah, again to my backstory. I was proud of myself as being kind of a health and nutrition nut and definitely feeling my age with just regular alcohol use over time. I'm socially responsible, but you can go a little bit bigger on the weekends. And so, yeah, kind of had that epiphany. I wasn't looking to get smarter with my values or change my habits. All my buddies were doing it. It was a pretty proven model. But yeah, I did kind of see the writing on the wall and didn't like where things were headed. And so I got inspired to take a one-year break from alcohol and I coined the phrase Bruce Vacation just to kind of make my buddies laugh and get them off my back and make it more kind of fun and aspirational. So that was kind of the impetus for it, because a lot of my buddies we've cut back. We take off dry January and then Super Bowl Sunday rolls around and we're right back at it. You know, making up for lost time, and you know I didn't know it at the time but now the science is out. You know Andrew Huberman had the podcast on alcohol. That was really eye-opening. And the reality is a lot of my buddies, in the way guys drink, you know, need to take probably three to six months off to reset their neural circuitry. So what guys sign up for and gals sign up for with regular alcohol use even, you know, for you know, three, four drinks not talking, not talking 20 you know you're rewiring your neural circuitry so you have a higher stress, higher anxiety, lower mood and lack of impulse control. And that's just your mind and that could take, you know, again, several months. So what's really happening is a lot of guys, especially if they're going a little bit bigger on the weekend and, you know, maybe letting some of their other health and wellness stuff slip. They're at 60, 70 percent. So when you say, hey, man, you should, you know, consider taking a break, you know what, maybe letting some of their other health and wellness stuff slip. They're at 60, 70%. So when you say, hey, man, you should consider taking a break, you know what happens. Is you wind up kind of asking the wrong guy because you know somebody at a hundred percent would be like yeah, that sounds good, I'll, you know, check it out.

Clifford Stephan: 7:35

But when you're in these lowered states, you know, you're kind of always looking to change the channel and alcohol is very effective at, you know, kind of changing states, but then it delivers lowered states and you get stuck in a ton of negative feedback loops.

Clifford Stephan: 7:48

But a lot of it is just kind of just, you know, having all your work and productivity issues during the week and that's not a lot of fun and you were looking forward to the weekend. So, yeah, it's, it's really about playing the long game. It's about playing, you know, offense, not defense, not showing up with these short breaks where you don't have the conviction, coming with these lame excuses and being like, hey, I'm, you know I'm taking this long, extended vacation from drinking and I'm like you, like you're kind of hitting after it. So it's not about not drinking and watching the clock, but it's really about leveraging that time, money and energy that I'll have negatively affecting, you know, your sleep and your hormones and your gut health and your brain and your testosterone level. So it's really kind of shifting that and and and stopping this negative flywheel and starting to ramp up the positive flywheel kind of is the impetus for it.

Dai Manuel: 8:37

I think it's great, you know, and I do love the play on words, copywriter in me loves it. Right Now I'm taking a booze vacation. You know, my 20-year-old just booked tickets for her first Contiki tour as a celebration of her university graduation and I'm like that's the opposite of booze vacation that we're talking about here. But when I think about what you just said there and I think it's very on point, because there is more and more science supporting the negative effects that alcohol has on our body, and I mean even nutritionally and nutritional sciences it's got a very different caloric value, but it also has this very adverse effect on our system and I love that.

Dai Manuel: 9:16

You've talked really about the neurology of it, right, and how it affects our brain, our perspective and everything. And I guess you know you've hinted at how health and happiness is affected with just a little amount. But in this journey that you've been on, you know, sort of bringing this to the awareness, to the masses, is there any misconception that you constantly find yourself running up against, especially when it comes to alcohol consumption and people that consider themselves high performers Because I've got friends right. Oh, I get right down my head. You know, I'm still performing, I'm operating at this high level and like, but have you ever operated without it? Like you believe your level, but really like what? What if you know? Like what would it be like to be at your level without the alcohol Right? And and so I'm, I'm just curious what your conversations have been like for you.

Clifford Stephan: 10:02

Yeah, and you know to that point you know I think a lot of guys can. You know, once they've established their business or their careers, they can kind of keep it going and you know that's fine and good. But it really starts boiling down to quality of life. You're not sleeping well, you're not feeling well, you have stomach issues, you're, you're not as productive. You still have, you know, even if your career set, you still have, you know, a lot of roles and responsibilities around the house and so that can create a lot of negative states. And again, when you're conditioned to associate alcohol with fun, you know, when you're not drinking it, things are kind of less fun and so, and then the other, the other reality is that, yeah, a lot of my peers are doing really well with their business and they know their cashflow and they know their clients and they have all these systems. They don't know their blood pressure. They don't know their, you know they don't know their ABOB, they don't know their cardiovascular. There's. There's so much good science out there where you could really get a good fingerprint on where you're at with your metabolic health, your cardiovascular health. You know. You know muscular, you know muscular musculoskeletal systems are super important for longevity. So just really kind of spinning the wrong plates and majoring in minor things. And again, you know you don't get great results when you're working out and when you're trying to eat well, when you're regularly drinking, because you're kind of pissing up when with your physiology and so guys can kind of over time be like, yeah, you know, I'm gonna kind of skip it, but I still got my business and I still got my fancy car. But it's like, hey, man, you could be. You know this is really the impetus for it is. You know, I was trying to have these conversations with my buddies that know like and trust me, and I just can't really have those conversations because it is, it is really ingrained in our identity and it's our fun and wild side. But you know to that that, to that point, you know, if you want to look and look and feel like you did in your twenties, you know you have to really take good care of your health and regular alcohol use. That's that's pretty much impossible.

Clifford Stephan: 11:55

And if someone could have figured it out it would have been me, cause I tried way too long, chipping away at it way too much time, money, and so that was kind of the memo I got, like I said I had. I worked, I worked very diligently, it was a pain in the ass, my sleep still sucked, my productivity wasn't good, my blood work wasn't good, and so you know it. You know. Again, I hate to like say, hey, you know, grow up, or whatever. Because like I was like yeah, I want to be peter pan for the rest of my life too, but you know it's, you know the quality of life and your performance and your mindset. It's just, it's just such a big deal. And like, yeah, you're right, it's.

Clifford Stephan: 12:31

You know, it's a vacation, it's a, it's a break. It's not a lifetime declaration, it's a choose your own adventure. But it's getting in a better group with your family and then, once your vacation is over, you can kind of, you know, choose your own adventure, figure out how you want to proceed with alcohol going forward. We're not serving alcoholics. Most of my colleagues aren't looking for for sobriety, but probably about the 25, 30% of them continue to rock their vacation because they're having a great time and they're not really sweating it. There's a ton of good non-alcoholic beers that you know. You have that muscle memory, so there's really not a lot that you're giving up and you're really gaining a lot.

Dai Manuel: 13:11

Well said and I know you hinted at this and I think it's actually. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this a bit more because I know we're referring to a lot of men right now. But I know this challenges everybody. I mean everybody can benefit from a booze vacation, but I, um, but I know this challenges everybody. I mean everybody can benefit from a booze vacation, um, but I like to talk about men specifically for a second, because there are some societal norms, especially in developed countries, especially in North America, where alcohol is just it's so normalized, right, and it's very prevalent everywhere.

Dai Manuel: 13:38

I mean, you brought up the Superbowl, like just think about sport, right? I I remember that was one of the toughest adjustments I had. I remember going to my first Canucks game and not having a beer the whole game, where I was doing at least one period before right, where that was a big adjustment but it was just so normalized. But also the way that business was done, even though I was in the fitness industry, retail operations, uh, with the company it, it, it was interesting to go to a conference, that is, a trade show or an industry events, and see, still, here in the fitness industry, alcohol was very pervasive as well, and and so sorry, this is sort of a long winded setting up the context for this question, but you know.

Dai Manuel: 14:19

So, when you think about all the challenges that humans face, but especially men, and some of these societal norms like, how do you approach these conversations and ultimately encourage to reevaluate their relationship with alcohol, do you know what I mean, because I know that that's a tough conversation to have, especially because it's been so normal. We've grown up with it. It's just how we connect. A lot of the times we go to the pub, we go to sporting, have a few drinks, and that's how men open up sometimes. And and so how do you? How do you approach this man? I guess I?

Clifford Stephan: 14:52

I'd love to know, yeah, it's a great question and again, it's funny because I, you know, I was in that culture, I drank for 30 years. Me even like talking trash on. It is a little bit, a little bit funny. But yeah, you know, it's kind of just, it's guys, it's how guys relate. How do you, how do guys relate? You talk shit and you know in and you don't point fingers.

Clifford Stephan: 15:11

We're not pushing sobriety, we're, you know it, we're very. You know, if you take a look at our website and our materials, we're really walking the line and we're just, you know, we're kind of just being straight up and and you know, ultimately, if you want to back into, you know it's like it ultimately boils down to what do you want and how long do you want to keep it? And if you want great performance and if you want to like rock it for as long as humanly possible, you have to figure out, you know, your health and wellness, you know that's going to affect your performance, that's going to affect your longevity, that performance that's going to affect your longevity, that's going to affect your relationships. So I really kind of just, you know, you kind of hit them, hit them, hit them under the belt. It's like sexual hell. You know. It's like your cardiovascular system is, you know, is damaged by, you know, by the excess sugar and all the inflammation, your testosterone levels, your drive, your libido, your performance, your wallet. You know chronic disease starts showing up in your forties and fifties and I don't care how much money you have, if you stop earning and you have, you get whopped with a couple hundred thousand dollars and this and that, and it can affect your you know, your health, your family, your dynamics, your appeal as a partner. The cards can really come crumbling down. So I kind of a little bit of chicken little.

Clifford Stephan: 16:21

But you know, the reality is it's like I'd rather be safe than sorry with my buddies and my bros because a lot of people are counting on them and honestly, they're a lot more fun when they're healthy and if they're just sitting there kind of, you know, three, three beers in. You know I got plenty of buddies and I still see them, I still love them, but it's like, guess what it's? You know again, I feel like some older old guy statesman. But yeah, the conversations aren't as appealing when the frontal cortex is shut down and you hear the same jokes over and over again and it's pretty flat and you know you don't see your buddies as much as you get older and you want to connect and you want to, you know, engage, and that can be a little bit of a hindrance, even though, you know, again, it's just, it ultimately winds up being a habit and again I'll show up and I'm drinking drinking beers Most of them, most of the time they're non-alcoholic and having a great time and and so it's really.

Clifford Stephan: 17:12

You know, it's really about you know your energy and you know, and your, your, your, your performance and your wellness and being you like we're not like. We're not like, we're not, we're not looking to be some like old guy and slept over the couch talking about, like, what it was like in, you know, high school and college days. It's like screw that. Like I'm serving 10 foot waves in Nicaragua for my 50th birthday with other buddies that are taking care of themselves. And then there's other dudes that are sitting there whining and moping around you know their boss and their corporate America and their bad blood work and their prescriptions and side effects and it's just like, how's that? How's that like fun and how's that like an identity you know? So it's like you know a lot of guys, and myself included.

Clifford Stephan: 17:53

You know you have this operating system that's formulated like in high school or college, and then you're, you start rocking. You know it works well to get you to places of success, but it's not what's going to keep you there, you know. So you do have to update that playbook and you know it's ultimately about what you want and how long you want to keep it. And we want you to have as much as possible and we want you to enjoy it, enjoy the ride, because again, you can keep, you can, you can have it and keep it. And then, but you're not going to enjoy it as much as you're going to have higher stress, you're going to have these quality of life issues. And then you know chronic disease can be right around the corner and that's like, why roll the dice with?

Dai Manuel: 18:24

your health like for what?

Dai Manuel: 18:27

very well said. You know, it is sort of that talent, I. I remember when I was studying philosophy at university and uh, there was this one philosopher I remember it might have been renee descartes, but either way. They had this idea that you know, because they were talking, trying to reconcile god, right, and then their thing was, well, I'm going to believe, no, it's Francis Bacon. And uh, it was this idea that you know if there's a God or if there isn't.

Dai Manuel: 18:52

I think the safer bets, just the belief you got believe in God. There might be a hell too. Oh, it's a much safer bet for me to live a pious life and one that believes in god than the alternative, because what do I have to lose, kind of thing. You know, damnation in hell or eternal happiness in heaven. You know, I'm like that's a safe bet, you know, oh, but but the same with alcohol, because I think it's just once people have that experience of taking a break, they get to reset, as you said, and and re-establish that healthy foundation. But also it starts to unlock things and and I know with my clients, and I imagine this is a big part of what you do as well, from what I understand, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. But there always are going to be those analytical types, right, like the data head, the ones that want the science, you know, less subjectivity, more objectivity, and I know for them. I really encourage activity trackers, specifically around fart rate variability, because that's a really nice window into our nervous system and it is crazy. I'll encourage my clients.

Dai Manuel: 19:53

I had one the other day send me some screen grabs of his screen and he hadn't had a drink for like three months and he had some drinks over the weekend because he had a family reunion. So he decided I'm going to have some whiskey. He only had two drinks. His HRV was almost two basis points lower than his average Just within 24 hours. He woke up the next day he felt lethargic it was incredible how. But he had to have a long enough break to really experience the peak and valley Right. And and I'm curious, you know, because you've had so many people go through this sort of program now what are some of the biggest observations that they've made? You know those little self-realizations like oh, wow, okay, I get it. You know, and I love seeing those experiences. I'm just wondering if you have some stories you share with what people have experienced what they've noticed when they take these booze vacations.

Clifford Stephan: 20:45

Well, have experienced what they've noticed when they take these booze vacations. Well, one buddy lost like 60 pounds in like six months. It was. How good does he feel? Yeah, like I mean, and this guy's a stud, wealth planner, like a stud, like managing billions of dollars. He's a stud and he had some. He had some weight that he just couldn't shake and so we shook that.

Clifford Stephan: 21:03

Um yeah, but these are like getting back in the studio and recording music, this better group with their families, you know kind of permanent. You know kind of hey, I'm, you know, I'm, you know, declaring that they're taking a permanent vacation, which is like, you know, again, I'm not even there yet, but you know, it's just, it's just amazing the transformation. But I think you know there's just so much you know, and each guy's experience is different. But you know life's hectic. You know lots to do, lots. You know you have to work, you have to, you know, manage your house and your household and you want your me time. Alcohol kind of speeds up that clock because you know there's a lot of downtime. You're wasting weekends on the couch and and you're in your when you're watching the clock, waiting, waiting to get there, and so things just kind of slow down. It's time for introspection and, yeah, it's a little dull initially when you're kind of hormones are resetting and you're not used to it. But yeah, there's just so many insights and so many gifts and joys and and you know you were kind of talking about this earlier but ultimately, what Beavis Vacation is setting out to do is give guys a choice, because I don't really see most of my peer groups Again. You know my buddies will try to cut back or maybe they'll take a month off, but anything beyond that like this, like there's no way, you know. And so they're presupposing and we all do that alcohol is benefiting me and I know it is. So I'm going to make this break short and I'm going to make it in January, when there's nothing going on, you know.

Clifford Stephan: 22:27

And so they look at their social calendar. They don't realize that they're kind of rolling the dice with their health and that it is. You know, they're kind of looking at it the wrong way and unfortunately it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. And you know, yeah, the one month was pretty boring. It didn't change their drinking habits one bit. They proved they could do it. So they learn all these counterproductive things, but they're, and so they don't, they're still not getting a choice.

Clifford Stephan: 22:49

So we want to get guys a hundred percent to, yeah, give them a lot longer shelf life for one and then give them more of an opportunity to kind of see what it's like to be experiencing life at a hundred percent. And you know, again, there's flexibility. It's not like again we're not sobriety police. There's nicotine, there's CBD, there's all kinds of stuff that you can, you can put in your tool belt, but um, but yeah, just kind of what you know, re-eating the same soup over time. You know, with tolerance and age and wear and tear, it's a very predictive model. You're going to get less benefits and you're going to get more punishment, and so that's the reality of you know what we're dealing with. It's a very predictive model. So trying to give guys a hopefully a little bit more educated, you know, kind of perspective on it.

Dai Manuel: 23:34

Well, you're doing a great job. I love the content, but I also love there's a bit of tongue in cheek at times, you know, and uh, and I think we have to make light of something because it is a rather serious conversation, for for some people, you know, and and I'm not going to say all or everyone, you know, I just try to stay away from that language but I do realize that there are a lot of people that struggle with alcohol consumption because it also might become part of their identity, which was what I struggled with. So it was separating those two took a while, you know, a good couple of years, but it also took some mental health support, you know, from some professionals, to really help me see things differently about myself. And once I was able to get that right, you know, alcohol wasn't part of the equation anymore, part of the identity piece, but, but I needed the break from booze to get to clarity. So I can imagine just the clarity people experience with a booze.

Dai Manuel: 24:31

Vacation is just, uh, you know, life-changing for for those that are really, you know, um, fully committing to it. Right Again, it's, it's, it's a vacation, if you can honor the vacation. And I, I know this started as a passion project and I'm just curious what, what, what's the vision? You know, because you are leading a conversation about alcohol, about abstaining from alcohol, or really just this idea of reprioritizing things in life besides the booze, right, right. And so what's this? Look like man. What's the larger impact? Look like.

Clifford Stephan: 24:56

It's a, you know, at the end of the day it's a gift. And you know we're constantly, you know, shifting the marketing message and I think the latest that I think is more spot on is we're really in the upgrading your life business, and then you know, which requires an extended break from alcohol, and so, you know, maybe kind of putting that more in the backseat because, again it's, it is still a little bit third rail, even though people realize it's just temporary, and so but yeah, it's just sharing the gift. And but yeah, it's just sharing the gift. And you know, the exciting part is is there's a massive need, there's guaranteed results. There's so many different metrics that we can hit on.

Clifford Stephan: 25:29

You know you mentioned heart rate variability. Just get a sleep tracker. You know your sleep's atrocious. Your blood work is atrocious. Good luck getting rid of the belly fat. You know your skin is, you know, kind of a window into what's going on inside, and that's not happy. And so there's just so much. There's just so much, you know.

Clifford Stephan: 25:47

You know I want to see my buddies at a hundred percent. I want to see them crushing it, you know, till the, till 99 and beyond, and and and sharing their gifts. You know, because I, I, I, I found that I discovered this gift, you know, reluctantly in my mid forties and it's been so transformational to me and what I, what I've gotten from it, so I just want to continue to share that. And the guys that have done it have gotten very similar experiences, and obviously we have our own experiences. But and then kind of having that force, power to, you know, give their gifts and whatever you know their passions are, so it just gives you so much more lift and drive.

Clifford Stephan: 26:19

And so it's really just you know getting the vernacular out there. That you know. And and really, really, you know again, as we kind of think of the male psyche, it's really reverse peer pressure. You know it's like it's going to be really clear who's on vacation and who's not, and the guys that are on vacations life, they're going to look a lot more like the beer commercial than the guys that are drinking the beer. And so you know it's just really you know it's ultimately it's about you know maximizing. You know maximizing activity levels, looking and feeling great all the time, you know just kind of getting after it and looking and feeling like a kid and and you could still give off and whatever be be crazy. You don't need, you know, a chemical and you can have that flexibility and again you might still have have a beer, and it's no big deal too, but it's just like you're not drinking it. No-transcript.

Dai Manuel: 27:10

I love it and I really do for it, and I love to ask you, you know, for those that are listening to this or watching then are like, oh, that booze vacation sounds like something I could use, you know, but what, what, what's the best process? Or how did what does it look like? You know, once you've come to that decision, you know what I'm taking a booze vacation. I love everything Clipper's saying. This sounds great. I want to take a vacation from booze because I want to start leveling up in certain areas that I know booze is holding me back in. Yep, what's next?

Clifford Stephan: 27:37

Yeah, check out. Check out our website at boozevacationcom. We have a ton of resources. I think it's really critical.

Clifford Stephan: 27:42

I think guys are conditioned to play dumb with their alcohol use and you know it's just like. You know it's fun and I don't want to. You know I don't want to understand. You know what's really going on. So it's really just some basic awareness and a lot of this stuff is just really hard to unsee.

Clifford Stephan: 27:57

Alcohol crushes testosterone directly. It crushes it indirectly with poor sleep and you know your REM sleep cycles or your hormones are recharged, where your mental health is recharged. So there's just so many. There's just so many reasons to do it. So anybody that's attempting to be healthy and going to the gym or eating salads or watching what they're eating, you know if you want to get results, that you know that will stoke you, you know you kind of have to have to do that. So we have different, different reports and, and you know, kind of quick ebook manifestos that guys can drop in and get understood. And gals too we probably have too. We probably have about 40 of our signups are female, I think, just because you know gals are a little bit more, you know, attuned with their body and they haven't been, you know, so used to playing dumb and and, yeah, they get it and yeah, guess what it's? It's really really bad for breast cancer risk and a lot, of, a lot of bad things and a lot of bad situations that they could be put in. So, um, yeah, you can sign up for a vacation. We're of a community, so we just have a bunch of different tools and resources to check us out and get involved.

Clifford Stephan: 29:02

But, yeah, it's really kind of knowing what you're up against. And then it's really just about really maximizing the time to improve your healthy habits. So we want results. We want you to get your blood tests done. We want you to you know improve your healthy habits. So we want results. We want you to get your blood tests done. We want you to you know before and after pictures. We want to you know your weight, your blood pressure. We're really, after you know, delivering everything by changing this one aspect, and so, and the more we deliver, the quicker we deliver, which we can very quickly just the more momentum you get, the more jazzed you are and the more fired up you are and the more you're going to want to share it, and so we just want to give the gift and get it out there, get that vernacular out there, and it's something that's fun and not kind of, you know, playing defense.

Dai Manuel: 29:47

Beautiful. I love it, clifford. I think it's just a wonderful mission and uh appreciate that you and, uh, you know that you're you're bringing this to the world, man that I know we can all use a little bit extra help. You know, I I the more people I have reaching out from the show, just the comments and the feedback I'm hearing. There's a lot of people that are looking for clarity to build the confidence to be able to take the right action. Let's be fair there's a million and one things we could do, but what do we really want to do and what can really move the needle forward?

Clifford Stephan: 30:19

Right and I love that.

Dai Manuel: 30:20

You're just inviting them. Just take a break. It's not a matter of like starting something else, right? It's just just take a break from this one habit, just take a break from that.

Dai Manuel: 30:28

Let's see what happened. You know, I just I love that. I really do enjoy that, the verbiage and how you're communicating this message. So congratulations, man. I'm excited to keep following along and seeing as this evolves to something very significant. I see it as a movement which I believe you've described it as as as well. As well, you know, in our in our past conversations. So I definitely see that you've already got the foundation for that, so we'll have to have you back here to get the update later. Also, you know, and I I always love to, to just give my guests the last opportunity to, to to really just share, uh, with the audience if there's anything that you feel was left unsaid, or anything inspiring or motivating that you'd like to leave with that person that's on the edge like oh, sounds great, maybe not for me.

Clifford Stephan: 31:16

You know what?

Dai Manuel: 31:17

would you like to leave them with today?

Clifford Stephan: 31:19

Yeah, you know, I just I'd like to leave. You know, like I said, I think alcohol is really intertwined with our social circles and with our identity and not doing it, even temporarily, I think, can be kind of scary. You know, some of the things I'd like to leave you with is no, it's not a stupid idea and it's surprising, it's shockingly easy to do. The hardest part about taking a break is not the taking a break, it's the deciding to take a break. And so once you decided, you know it's really not that bad the first couple of weeks. You know, yeah, there's a little bit of physical and emotional dependence. You have to rip off that band-aid, but other than that it's not that bad.

Clifford Stephan: 31:58

And again, by the one of the cool features of these vacations, yeah, you kind of have that ground cover and you know people laughing at you, know what you're doing, but you know you just you have that time and space to kind of really kind of start working on all these healthy habits and not having to make all these micro decisions around oh, I got this event, I got this party, or what am I going to say?

Clifford Stephan: 32:18

You're just kind of forced to kind of just kind of hit the ground running and, you know, start connecting the dots with other community members. So it's just, it's just a really important gift and it's it's a time sensitive one in one, you know it's. It's so easy to restore health when you haven't, you know, hit these chronic disease states. Once you put these chronic disease states, so it's really encouraged my buddies to, you know, kind of look at their health and get a little smarter with their health and, you know, just a little bit of tapping the brakes will really get them a lot farther, faster and, yeah, a lot more fun even though it seems a little counterintuitive and a lot more option, a lot more opportunities for just, you know, kind of designing the life that you want without kind of getting sucked into the medical system and all that.

Dai Manuel: 33:04

I always just think you know what's the worst that can happen, right? I mean, hey, the worst thing is, after three to six months, you go back to tourniquet, go back to the life that you had before, but you can't really experience the other side of the fence until you go over the fence.

Dai Manuel: 33:18

So uh thanks for creating such an easily accessible other side of the fence, you know, and uh, but also to have community here, and don't worry, in the show notes I've included all the links to the social profiles, the website, uh, also, uh, provided some, some synopsis on what we talked about today, and I just got to say again, thank you, clifford, for coming on here to talk about alcohol, alcohol consumption, some of the normalization of that, some of the challenges, but also, you know you didn't vilify it, do you know what I mean? And I really respect that, because I do know that there's two schools of thoughts. Right, there's the ones that are very, you know, uh, and listen, I, I appreciate that there's an important need for that as well. Uh, on the sobriety conversation, uh, abstinent conversation, but, but I really appreciate how you're presenting this and I just think it's it's wonderfully refreshing, yeah.

Clifford Stephan: 34:15

Well, I know my peers and, yeah, I know I know what to say and know what not to say, so I'm an expert. I'm an expert on both sides of the fence. So, yeah, yeah, I would never, you know, vilify it, and it would be pretty, um, yeah, critical for me to do so after you know the life I've lived for most of it. So, reality, reality is, it's a, it's a tricky substance in our, in our society, and one that you know. I think it's important to shine a light on and just get a little smarter with your, your years and and question things and test it out and see for yourself, because the results are really compelling.

Dai Manuel: 34:49

Well said man, Well said Well again. Thank you again for being here, Clifford. We're excited to have you back next season to get some further updates and do a deeper dive on alcohol and some of the things that you're learning, Because I know you are collecting a lot of data and specific results that are seen and scaled based on that one commitment they make to just abstain for a period of time. So I'd love to hear more about some of that research that you're collecting just by helping people with it. So I'm looking forward to having you back next season, and for now, though, again thank you, Extremely grateful for you and excited to continue following your adventure.

Clifford Stephan: 35:25

I thank you so much for the time. I really appreciate it. It's a great conversation.

Dai Manuel: 35:33

Told you, didn't I, man? That was a powerful conversation with clifford. Today, we explored the incredible benefits of taking a booze vacation and how it can transform not just your health but your entire life. Clifford shared his journey of taking a year off from alcohol and how it led to the creation of booze vacation, a movement that's helping high-performing individuals unlock their fullest potential. Now here are a few key takeaways from today's discussion.

Dai Manuel: 36:01

One small changes, big impact. Even minor reductions in alcohol consumption can significantly improve your health, your mood and, most importantly, also your productivity. Number two understanding your why. Reflecting on why you drink and how it impacts your life can be a game changer. I know for myself. You know this is going back about 15 years ago If you haven't listened to the episode where I share my TEDx talk.

Dai Manuel: 36:28

I talk about my struggles with alcohol and that rarely toxic relationship I had with it and some of the changes I made specifically around that why? Because as soon as I got clear on the why, it was amazing, but a lot of the obstacles and the things that were holding me back just seemed to melt away and became quite simple. Notice, I said simple, not easy, because making big changes isn't always easy, but we know if we can trust a process be consistent and frequent enough. Even just a little 2% every day. Change is not only possible, it can be more enjoyable too.

Dai Manuel: 37:02

Now number three community and support. Joining a supportive community can make all the difference in maintaining your commitment to a healthier lifestyle. Now make sure to check out Clifford's resources and join the Booze Vacation community at boozevacationcom. I've also included all those links in the show notes, easy to access. Click expand on those notes wherever you're listening to this podcast and you'll see that there's a bunch of links, including the links to Clifford's social channels and the Booze Vacation site. Go, check it out, maybe pick up a conversation with Clifford on LinkedIn he's very active there and also follow his journey on TikTok. If you're looking for more inspiration. If you enjoyed today's episode, please subscribe, leave a review, share it with anyone you think could benefit from this insightful conversation today. Your support helps us bring more inspiring guests like Clifford to the show. Until next time, this is Diamond Well, reminding you to take that 2% of your day to make 100% difference in your life. Stay healthy, stay happy and stay inspired.