Happy to be grog-free and fitter than ever

Will Hall Photo / Hagen Hopkins

Actor Will Hall's fear of wearing Lycra motivated him to stop drinking alcohol for six months. Hall, who starred in Shortland Street and Nothing Trivial, is the newest ambassador for Hello Sunday Morning.

The free online community requires participants to try abstention.

"When I started working on the second season of Nothing Trivial and I was told that my character was a marathon runner wearing mostly Lycra and, eventually, nothing as he likes to swim nude. This was the motivation I needed to shed some of that weight my beloved beer brings with it," Hall said.

"Unfortunately, I failed miserably. By the end of the first week of work I went out for drinks with the rest of the cast, and by the third round I was reaching for a Moa beer instead of a ginger one.

"I'm hoping that by signing up to Hello Sunday Morning I can stay on track and have a proper break from the booze."

Last man standing remembers all, but will he tell

It's called Hello Sunday Morning and, no, it's not a church thing. I was asked to leave church because of my terrible singing and now I'm what they call a C&E. I keep the visits to Christmas and Easter.

Plus, I usually keep Sunday mornings for worshipping something else, like the greasy McMuffin that I hope will cure my hangover. This is just one of the things I've had to explain to people after I have politely refused a drink.

With the surprised responses, I knew I was doing the right and responsible thing by taking the challenge of not drinking for six months.

So, here I am, sober for a few months and ready to tell all on the lessons I've learned and the benefits I've discovered from taking it easy on the booze.

To all of my friends who are worried about me remembering more than usual and telling stories of their not-so-sober nights: you were right to be. This blog could be interesting.

Next week, I'll give you a Sober Insiders' Guide to a Wrap Party. The production team puts on a bar tab and no man is left standing. This time, however, I was.

Cheers (with a ginger beer), Will