AJ McLean is proud of the progress he’s made. The Backstreet Boys singer shared a body transformation on Instagram with pictures taken a year apart, celebrating the changes he has made amid his sobriety journey. The photos show “dad bod” AJ posing with two peace signs, while side-by-side with images of the “I Want It That Way” artist muscled up at the gym.
“Found the pic on the left from a year ago on vacation,” AJ captioned his post on Sept. 1, “and wow it’s amazing what a little dedication and setting goals can do for a person. The journey is far from over though. This is just the beginning!”
AJ also took time to motivate others looking to start a new lifestyle, writing, “Let’s go! If I can do it so can you!!”
In 2020, the 44-year-old shared on an Dec. 6 episode of his Pretty Messed Up podcast that he was close to the one-year anniversary of his sobriety. AJ will mark three years sober in December 2022.
“As long as I’m keeping my side of the street clean, I can’t worry about keeping your side of the street clean,” AJ said at the time, speaking to podcast co-host and former Dancing with the Stars partner Cheryl Burke. “And everything actually worked itself out. I feel much better.”
AJ discussed his “turning point” during an October 2020 interview with Good Morning America. The singer-who shares daughters Lyric, 5, and Elliot, 9, with wife Rochelle DeAnna McLean-said he moved to become sober after coming home from a Las Vegas trip and facing his family’s reaction to the smell of alcohol lingering on him.
“My wife could smell it on my breath,” AJ said. “And my youngest of my two daughters would not sit with me.”
He added, “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.”