Ben Stokes quits drinking to get fit for Ashes
Ben Stokes has quit alcohol in an effort to be fully fit for England this summer after realising a big night out may have played a part in him suffering a serious hamstring injury in New Zealand last year.
Stokes required surgery on his torn hamstring in December, a relapse of an old injury that occurred when he bowled a long spell in the third Test against New Zealand in Hamilton.
England had already won the series 2-0 and celebrated their victory in the Wellington Test a few days before the game in Hamilton.
Now Stokes is wondering whether those celebrations led to his injury setback and has admitted his use of alcohol has changed. While stopping short of going teetotal for the rest of his career, he says he has not had a drink since the start of the year when he threw himself into rehabilitation from his operation.
He makes his playing return at Trent Bridge this week in the one-off Test match against Zimbabwe and is intending to play his full part as an all-rounder as England begin a six-month run that will culminate in the Ashes series in Australia.
Speaking to the Untapped podcast, Stokes said: 'After my first major injury, I remember the shock of it, after the initial adrenalin had stopped, thinking, 'How has this happened? We did have a bit of a drink four or five nights ago, could that have played a part? It wouldn't have helped'.
'Then I was like 'OK, I need to start changing what I do'. I don't think I'll ever be completely sober, but I've not had a drink since January 2. I said to myself 'Not until I finish my injury rehab and get back on the field'.
'I think the day I wake up and can't be bothered to do the training programme is getting towards that time you don't really want it anymore. But I haven't got any interest in stopping.
'It's just getting harder to do everything. Hence why now I feel like I have to work so much harder away from the field, in the gym and all that kind of stuff to just give me the best chance of being out there to perform. But I'll keep going as long as I possibly can.'
Stokes, who is hoping to play a full role as an all-rounder against Zimbabwe, revealed his relationship with alcohol has evolved over the years, particularly after he was found not guilty of affray following a street brawl in Bristol in 2017.
Stokes said: 'I can have a social drink now. It used to drive my wife Clare mad that I would just be all or nothing.
'If we'd go for a nice dinner, I never really understood why it was so frustrating to her but all she wanted to do is share a glass of wine with her husband. Now I get it. I can appreciate it for what it is, not just to get me p----d.
'In the Nineties and 2000s, there were unbelievable stories [about drinking]. It's definitely settled down a lot over the years.
'The game is more demanding on the body than it was. There's so much more cricket, there's so much more in the schedule that it's just impossible for the body to be able to withstand all of that anyway without the downsides of what a couple of beers at the end of the day can do to you for the next day.'
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