Regular drinking as part of the industry's culture took its toll
A mortgage broker who believes his life was at risk because of his alcohol consumption – in part because of an industry culture of regular drinking – hopes he can inspire his industry colleagues to do the same. Sam Mason (pictured) reports a boost to his business since he gave up alcohol - and he has never felt so good.
Mason, 25, who is founder and managing director of The Mortgage and Production Hub, has previously suffered two health episodes which put him in hospital. His heart was beating so forcefully and he felt so unwell that he thought he was having a heart attack and was going to die. Mason has been diagnosed with the heart condition atrial fibrillation and told by doctors to cut down on his drinking. He hasn’t had any alcohol for over five months. This is no easy feat in an industry where, as he acknowledges, drinking is commonplace.
“In our industry there is an excuse to drink every single day if you want to do so, at networking events or taking introducers and estate agents out for lunch and dinner,” he told Mortgage Introducer. “There's a lot of pressure in our industry, yes. Every single event revolves around alcohol and it feels innocent because you're not sitting at home drinking on your own.”
Mason believes working for himself has compounded the issue. “If you are self-employed, the only people you've got to answer to are your clients,” he said. “This is the trap I felt fell into. So the next day you start a lot later, maybe at 12, and you push things back, and you're not as productive. There was a point where I was drinking four, five, or six-days-a-week. I think there was an element of dependency.
“You say, ‘Oh, I'm not an alcoholic’, but every single day you are dependent on having a few beers to keep you socialising at events. Just because everyone else is doing it, doesn't mean that there's not an issue there. There definitely is an issue, because it’s not good for you.”
While Mason believes the industry lifestyle lends itself to regular drinking, he doesn’t think it’s unique to the sector. “I think the UK has an issue with drink and our industry is just an extension of the drinking culture in the UK because it's so accepting,” he said. “It's so normalised to just be drinking all the time, and it does go hand-in-hand with networking and socialising. It's down to each individual person to work out how they're managing it.”
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What are the positive impacts of giving up alcohol?
Since cutting out alcohol, Mason has better numbers for his business, he feels happier and healthier, sleeps better and, essentially, feels more motivated too. In short, not drinking has been a game changer for him. “I would really encourage anyone to ask themselves this question - have you ever woken up in the morning after a social event and thought, ‘I wish I had a drink last night’?” Mason said. “Probably not. Then think of all the times that you've woken up and thought, ‘I wish I hadn’t done that last night. I wish I hadn't drank - I feel dehydrated, I feel unhealthy. I feel tired.’ My granddad was an alcoholic - he died from it. So, actually, I think there is every risk that I could have caused myself further damage, and I'm glad that I'm realising this so young.”
Mason has recently returned from a business entrepreneur’s masterclass in Spain and addressed 250 school children about his work – things he is passionate about and believes he wouldn’t have done if he was still drinking alcohol. He now gets up earlier to go to the gym and describes his productivity as ‘skyrocketing’, with plans to increase his team from three to six by the end of the year. “If I am healthier, I can enjoy my success for longer,” he noted, and urged colleagues: “Give it a go for 90 days and see how you get on.”
While admitting that it was difficult, at first, going to industry events and not drinking alcohol, he has adjusted. “I'm quite open about the fact of why I'm not drinking and what it's doing for me,” he shared, “and actually, I've been pleasantly surprised by the response that I've been getting. People have actually shown a lot of interest and compassion. I feel like a lot of people have looked into it or thought about it themselves. I would say that I'm struggling to see any positives now for going back to drinking - it's very unlikely.”
