Backstreet Boys’ A.J. McLean Looks Ripped Since Getting Sober

by TK Sanders September 6, 2022, 2:03 amupdated September 6, 2022, 2:06 am 619 Views 75 Comments

Backstreet Boys alum A.J. McLean is rocking his body right after revealing some dramatic weight loss recently. The former pop star, 44, attributes his weight-loss success to a new lifestyle based in wellness and sobriety.

“Thought I’d do a little throwback Thursday vibes,” McLean said via an Instagram photo collage on Thursday, September 1. “Found the pic on the left from a year ago on vacation and wow it’s amazing what a little dedication and setting goals can do for a person.”

In the collage, he showed a picture of himself just a year ago on vacation on the left; and on the right, he shared two recent pictures from a gym session.

AJ McLean Courtesy of AJ McLean/Instagram

“The journey is far from over though,” the Florida native, who is a father of two girls, continued. “This is just the beginning! #healthylifestyle #sober #nomoredadbod! Let’s go! If I can do it so can you!!”

McLean, who got famous in his 20s with the Backstreet Boys, has previously said he’s battled drug and alcohol addictions for over two decades. He said he finally had enough of the addiction cycle in December of 2019.

“I’m gonna be one year sober tomorrow, which is insane,” the pop star said on his “Pretty Messed Up” podcast in December 2020. “As long as I’m keeping my side of the street clean, I can’t worry about keeping your side of the street clean. And everything actually worked itself out. I feel much better.”

A.J. McLean said his daughter helped him get sober

It appears now that he’s sober, he’s using that extra time to hit the gym and get into the best shape of his life. He admitted, though, that quitting wasn’t easy, and he thought people would actually be disappointed in him.

“I thought the boys were gonna be disappointed, or I thought my wife was gonna leave me. Luckily, I could be completely vulnerable with René … I felt safe, I felt not judged,” he continued. “Not saying I felt judged by my wife, because she doesn’t judge me at all. But I always had this inkling of fear … like, ‘Oh, my God. She’s going to leave me.’”

He also admitted that it was a stark family moment that convinced him to kick the habit for good, though.

“I came back home [from Las Vegas], my wife could smell it on my breath and my youngest of my two daughters would not sit with me,” he shared in October 2020, about 10 months into sobriety. “There’s too much to live for today — my beautiful children, my amazing wife, my career, my brothers. I’ve never felt more grounded than I do today.”

If you’re thinking about giving sobriety a try, there’s lots of resources out there to help expedite the early days of the process. My favorite book on controlling alcohol is by Allen Carr — give it a read HERE.