Jon Pardi Explains Why He Got Sober: ‘I Was So Unhappy With Myself’

Jon Pardi is closing out this year with about 130 days of sobriety from alcohol under his belt. The singer spoke about his big lifestyle change during a recent interview with Amazon Music's Country Heat Weekly podcast, revealing that he has been sober since Aug. 22, 2023.

Pardi says that he has "lost a bunch of weight" in the time since he gave up alcohol, explaining that some health issues made him want to get sober.

"I was pre-diabetic and I was just like, 'I gotta stop,'" the singer acknowledges, going on to say that losing weight has also increased his confidence in his image. "... It just fell off my face and I really was getting to the point where every picture, every video, I was so unhappy with myself."

That doesn't necessarily mean that he's committed to giving up alcohol for the rest of his life. "But I will say I'm retired, okay? Doesn't mean I can't come out of retirement," Pardi clarifies. "But for right now, it's been great."

"I just did a photo shoot and I was like ... 'Damn, I look good. Take that, Tito's!'" he jokes. "But for anybody that's thinking about it, if you wanna lose weight and you do drink, let me tell ya, it does help tremendously if you stop."

Pardi's still got one weakness, though: "But then you get the ice cream, like, the sugar cravings," he adds. "I love me some ice cream. I'm like, 'Well, I'm not drinking, let me get this candy bar, Twix ice cream. Coffee ice cream. So good."

The back half of 2023 has been busy for Pardi, who released his first full-length holiday project, Merry Christmas From Jon Pardi. He also became an official member of the Grand Ole Opry, with Garth Brooks formally inducting him in a late October ceremony.

These Country Artists Are Keeping Traditional Country Alive: