Bear Grylls has shared his healthy addiction that science says is 'more powerful than cocaine', revealing it's one of his favourite ways to achieve a 'natural high' without any nasty side effects.
The British adventurer has long held a reputation for his extreme lifestyle, pushing himself (and his stomach) to the limit on TV in the name of survival since his hugely successful Man Vs Wild premiered in 2006.
The Discovery+ series had Bear stranded in remote areas with minimal resources, which he would use to find his way back to civilization while offering the audience tips to persevere in similarly grave conditions. Throughout its seven seasons, which led to several spin-off shows, Man Vs Wild saw the outdoors enthusiast stun viewers with his radical survival tactics – including crawling inside a dead camel, swimming naked across Siberian waters and using a tree trunk to cross a river.
Bear Grylls rose to fame on his survival series Man Vs Wild in 2006Bear's equally known for his sturdy gag reflex, having eaten everything from poisonous spiders to goat's testicles to avoid starvation in the absence of food. The former British Special Forces soldier has even drank his urine on camera to stay hydrated in the scorching heat of the North African desert, proving there's almost nothing he won't ingest to keep going. If that wasn't impressive enough, he also famously is one of the youngest people to have summitted Mount Everest and has set a record for the longest continuous indoor freefall after recovering from a brutal parachuting accident in 1996.
Now 49 and married with three sons, Bear has scaled back the risk of his adrenaline fixes and today, he has learned to find simpler ways to feel a rush. As he launches his new mental health app for men, Mettle, he reflects on his daily habits to maintain a positive mindset – one of which is cold water swimming.
'My son's a drug lord - he's threatened to kill me but I still love him'
Bear Grylls is a huge fan of cold water swimming
Bear Grylls with wife Shara Grylls in 2022 (WireImage)Bear has revealed that he loves dipping into chilly temperatures because, despite always being a challenge, it's an effective way to feel a 'natural high'. "There’s the power to doing difficult things in your life. And they shake your whole system, cold water’s one of those," he told the Mirror. "It’s not fun, it never gets easier. Getting in 2 degrees water, it takes mental willpower. That’s the really valuable." Bear, who was touting the benefits of cryotherapy long before it became so popular, also joked that it's made him realize how lousy illegal stimulants must be. "There’s the dopamine thing where it’s like 17x more powerful than cocaine, I’m thinking cocaine must be rubbish!" he laughed. "I feel good but I don’t feel that good!"
Elsewhere in the interview, Bear opened up about his relationship with alcohol, revealing that he's been 'lucky' that's it's "never been on his radar." Aside from the occasional couple of social drinks, the motivational speaker doesn't have any desire to get drunk when he's out with friends.
"I am actually fine always just to have one drink every now and again, or even two or three, but it’s not something I crave in my life," he explained. "Because I never drink, I’ve got such a light head, after a few cocktails I’m like I can’t drink anymore, that’s me done. I’m not a regular drinker."
As for Mettle, Bear hopes that the app will appeal to "a forgotten demographic of men" who may be less inclined to reach out for support during tough times. Describing it as a "tool box" that can be likened to a workout for the mind, the Emmy-winner explains that the idea was inspired by the lack of digital mental health resources designed with men's preference in mind."
"I think there's many things they're doing so well for women, and there's many apps that speak a language and a look that's harder for men to relate to," he said, before adding he believes Mettle will resonate with the ordinary working man and help destigmatise talking openly about mental health. "There's a huge part of society of men that just don't get resourced very well," he said. "Everyone gets it about gyms, but there isn't the equivalent for mental fitness."
Mettle is available to download on the Apple App Store now with Google Play Store. Users get a 14 day free trial, thereafter subscriptions are available for £12.99 a month, £99.99 annually. As a launch offer, users will also get 50% off when they subscribe.
Apple store link here:https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/mettle-mental-fitness/id1664930136
Google Play link here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mettle.app&pli=1
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