“The majority of sober influencers look down on drinkers. I like to tell the truth

With over two decades of binge drinking under his belt, Jono Yates was dedicated to the art of drinking. Now the former captain of popular social media account Simply Pints is five months sober – and his team of 100,000 followers are responding. He shares his story with Men’s health.

individual wearing multi-colored outdoor jacket and cap

Courtesy of Jono Yates

I thought I had found the cheat code to life: buying cold beers in nice pubs for money. My job was crazy – traveling the world looking for the perfect Guinness, collecting engagements and paying my bills with it all. But drinking for a living is not a sustainable solution.

I have never succeeded in moderation. For every pint I posted on my channel @SimplyPints, there would have been four or five more before or after. Then I would move on to the next pub.

Drinking has led me to some of the best experiences of my life. But it was unmanageable. It almost cost me my family, my friends and the sports agency that I had created with two partners. It was my sister who convinced me to find Alcoholics Anonymous.

Getting @SimplyPints sober wasn’t a thought process, but I was four months into recovery and AA had taught me huge lessons. This made me think that a group of my subscribers might need or want the same information.

“I had never thought of sobriety as unifying before”

I would have unfollowed myself, if I was honest. And when I announced that the account would change to focus on my sobriety, I expected many others to do the same. I was right too: around 15,000 people dropped out of school. But I also gained about 10,000 new subscribers. And then the messages of support started pouring in.

I had never thought of sobriety as unifying. Drink brings people together, surely? If a friend of mine had told me he was going to get sober, I would have been an asshole. So when it comes to supporting the sober society, I couldn’t have seen it coming.

i want to get @TheSoberlap It’s true, so I carefully plan what to do next. The “sober influencer” industry is huge and primarily based in the United States. But I can count on one hand the accounts that I actually like. The majority, I think, sit on high horses and look down on drinkers. In the UK you need a more real approach. True stories, a little self-deprecation, the truth about difficult things. This is where I see this market evolving. It’s more of a “if they can do it, maybe I can do it too” approach. More human.

Guinness 0.0%? That’s good, and it’s coming from a purist. It’s creamy, refreshing, delicious… it’s got it all. Almost. However, something is missing: chaos.