This man has 90 drinks a week. Now he says he's going to quit. Can he do it?

Hira Nathan says quitting alcohol could save him around $200 a week. Photo / Dean Purcell

The blackouts, the health risks, the days lost to hangovers after extended binges — the price of heavy drinking has finally become too much for Hira Nathan.

The 34-year-old Auckland lineman who habitually consumed more than 90 drinks a week has sworn off the bottle for a year. He has created a "nomorebeers" Facebook page and is writing a Herald blog to let the public watch his progress, which he hopes will help him to stay sober even beyond his initial 365-day target.

Mr Nathan grew up in Hawkes Bay and started drinking at 16.

"We were able to buy it down at the liquor shop. The guy knew we were underage but he would still sell it.

"At my peak, when I was really bad, I was drinking from Thursday to Sunday, 90, close to 100 drinks," said Mr Nathan, who consumed beer, pre-mixed spirits and shots.

Drinking brought him a brush with the law in his early 20s — diversion on a charge of disorderly behaviour — and later a drink-driving fine.

Last weekend he quit.

"I'm just trying to get a better life. I train a lot and the weight just doesn't go anywhere," said Mr Nathan, a kickboxer and rugby player who believes the bottle has held him back in sports and at work.

"I drink on a Friday night ... and the brain and body doesn't start functioning properly until Monday and that takes out the whole weekend."

He is worried about his health too — "20 beers on a Friday night has got to be doing something to the brain. I black out a lot — black out drunk and can't remember and wake up on Saturday thinking, 'Jeez, what did I do'."

Heavy drinking increases the risks of dementia, liver damage, heart disease, stroke and cancers including mouth, breast and bowel.

Otago University alcohol researcher Professor Jennie Connor said the main risks for younger drinkers included injuries, suicide and alcohol poisoning. Many of the chronic disease risks accumulated with age and could be reversed if a heavy drinker quit in their mid-30s.

But heavy drinking in the teens and 20s was associated with some loss of brain function and there was no evidence it could be reversed.

Mr Nathan said quitting alcohol would save a lot of money; he often spent about $200 a week.

He and his partner want to save for a house deposit and having children is a possibility for the future. He said she was very supportive of his quitting and looked forward to their spending more time together.

Vital statistics

Hira Nathan

• 34 years old
• 110 kilograms
• 1.83 metres tall

Where to get help

• Alcohol Drug Helpline 0800 787 797
• Alcoholics Anonymous 0800 229 6757