Country star Jon Pardi explains why he 'retired' from drinking: 'I was so unhappy'

Jon Pardi will ring in 2024 with a significant milestone: He's marking four months of sobriety.

The "Last Night Lonely" singer spoke about his lifestyle change in a Dec. 14 interview on Amazon Music's "Country Heat Weekly" podcast, saying he has "lost a bunch of weight" since getting sober for health reasons.

"I was pre-diabetic, and I was just like, 'I gotta stop,' " the 38-year-old country music artist told hosts Kelly Sutton and Amber Anderson.

Pardi also said losing weight has increased his confidence after previously feeling that "I was so unhappy with myself."

"I just did a photo shoot and I was like ... 'Damn, I look good,' " he laughed. "But for anybody that's thinking about it, if they want to lose weight and you do drink, let me tell you, it does help tremendously if you stop."

Something Pardi may not be able to stop, though, is his sugar cravings.

"I love me some ice cream," he said. "I'm like, 'Well, I'm not drinking ...' Twix ice cream. Coffee ice cream. So good."

Pardi also acknowledged that getting sober may not be a lifelong commitment. "I'm retired, OK? Doesn't mean I can't come out of retirement," he said. "But for right now, it's been great."

The singer-songwriter also discussed touring, his new holiday album ("Merry Christmas From Jon Pardi"), celebrating his 10-month-old daughter Presley's first Christmas with wife Summer Pardi, and other changes he's made going into the New Year.

Pardi will join Morgan Wallen's extended One Day at a Time tour in 2024 for two nights in Denver.

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