sobriety26

when I first stop drinking after about a week Into my sobriety I looked awful,I'm 26 but Ithought iI looked 45,my skin looked droopy,my pores got huge,my skin got pale,my hair was brittle,my nail chipped constantly,my eyes were puffy,I looked like I slept an hour a day,I cried daily becauseI would read people's blog's about how their appearance got better quickly or after a month and mine got worse,now I can honestly say I actually look better and even though I'm still going through the tired faze I feel a lot better,I can actually look in the mirror without thinking im.ugly,i mean my skin is no longer dry,before I would put lotion on and it was like my skin wouldn't absorb it,now my skin is so soft,my hair was breaking off bad and now is shiny,soft and growing,im tired but my eyes aren't so puffy like they were before,i still have large pores but my face isnt so droopy,my nails are stronger and it grows so fast also my breath isn't bad anymore,recovery is great and your appearance does get better,have anyone else experience this,i read so many blogs about it happening,i just wasn't a believer at first but now I am!
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Soberwolf

A miracle isn't it

opalblue

My appearance goes through stages in the past 17 days. Sometimes I wake up and my skin is radiant. Other times I still look tired. But I generally look healthier.

ZeldaFan

It just keeps improving the longer you are away from the poison that is alcohol. I'm glad you are seeing positive results! I know I sure did. Especially after the first week.

Bunny211

Oh yes! When I went to treatment I was bloated and malnourished. My skin was sallow...no color. My hair was thin and falling out in clumps. Now my color is back, my hair is shiny and healthy and I look healthy again! Thank you sobriety!

CarrieBradshaw

I can relate to everything you mentioned, sobriety26! I am also 26. I suffered from dry skin, dry scalp, chapped lips, bad breath, baggy and dry eyes, puffy face, swollen hands and fingers, breakouts, large pores (that was brought to my attention embarrassingly enough whenever a friend was doing my makeup), and an overall look of exhaustion. I'm so happy you're feeling good in your own skin again. Alcohol does not fare anyone well! Keep doing what you're doing!

Outonthetiles

My face seems less puffy....
My skin seems much better.
Turns out I was poisoning myself!

opalblue

My hair was fallling out a lot...I think its improved but hard to say. Will get back to this thread and report couple of months later

OldSkoolFool

I'm looking forward to losing this gut that was caused by multiple Manhattan's followed by bad eating habits nightly.
Crazy how easy it was to down half a fifth of whiskey in a night just by making those drinks.

Aellyce

Definitely! I tried to avoid looking in a mirror as much as possible during my worst drinking times. I am much older (early 40's) and got sober a month before my 40th birthday. That's pretty much around the age when time and whatever destructive things we have done to our health starts to really show, I think. I am not a super vane person in general, but vane enough and interested in beauty, fashion etc.

I saw improvements in my appearance quickly, especially the skin thing that everyone seems to experience. I even got asked by one of my students that I supervise, if I had Botox, fillers or some other cosmetic procedures done... I have never had any of those, just sobriety, which is pretty cheap

I'm a little obsessed with my hair, that's something I can thank good genes for. I wear it very long and have also been coloring it since my mid-teens. Sometimes these procedures can be harsh and combined with the effects of alcohol... I spent so much money and time on buying and putting products on my hair to make it look healthy while drinking heavily, and of course it still suffered visibly. Now I just use simple shampoo and conditioner that's appropriate for my hair. Also changed color in early sobriety to something that takes less toll on the hair and found out it's also probably the best fitting color I've had for a good while, so I've kept it for 2 years now as my "sober color"

Congrats on getting sober so young, your body will definitely be grateful for many years to come!

KDBnSLC

I didn't know that brittle fingernails were caused by alcohol abuse. That actually explains a lot. Thank you for the post.

kittycat3

One of my favorite aspects of the show Intervention is seeing how amazing the recovering addicts look after 30-60-90 days sober. Many times they look like totally different people, with a sparkle in their eyes and clear skin. If that isn't motivation enough to quit I don't know what is (not just saying from a vanity perspective but taking care of our bodies so we can live healthy lives!)

teatreeoil007

Cute!

UhZoomZip

I just came out of detox, and you're absolutely right. I told so many people, and was told by people, how much better looking we are after even a few days of sobriety.

oldsoul1122

At my age I didn't change much in appearance except for losing weight. I'm at size 10 that I've always wanted to be. When I was under the influence I actually thought I looked pretty good like everyone does in a bar near closing time. Getting sober was kind of a shock.