RiverBoat

Hi all, I just wanted to ask those who have got a good bit of sobriety under their belt a question. I'm 26 and have been drinking heavily for years and I look really bad and ill. In particular, my face is blotchy and pale at the same time, I'm sure my face is much fatter than normal, even though I'm underweight. I always have black bags under my eyes, my nose and forehead are really inflamed. (This is a bit to do with excma but no doubt made ten times worse by drink.) So bad I only have one tiny mirror in my flat!

I suppose I'm not really going to look like brad pitt after years of bad living, but how much can I expect to look better, if at all, if I stop and how long will it take? I have not had a drink for a week, and I am starting to feel a bit better, but I still look terrible

I know everyones different, but I was just wondering.

Thank you for any replies.

almay777

Hi Riverboat - This is also my 7th day without a drink and like you, I am constantly looking for signs of improvement in my appearance - I too cannot really see much diff at the moment. My face doesnt look quite so bloated but my tummy is still swollen and my eyes still look tinged, dull and slightly bloodshot. I'm guessing that every day without a drink is a positive step to looking and feeling better. Have you had any major withdrawals?

CarolD

By the end of 2 months of sobriety.....I was back in
healthy balance physically and mentally.....

I suggest you drink lots of water...walk daily and
eat healthy fooods. A daily multi vitamin and a
B 12 complex were also beneficial for me.

Good to know you are a non drinker...

Welcome to SR

RiverBoat

@ almay777. Yes, pretty bad jitters and glitches and head fog and couldn't sleep for a few days, but I'm past all the immediate stuff. I knew what to expect because I have had quite long patches of sobriety before.

solareclipse

Hi Riverboat, I'm only on day 5 and i think the only things i've noticed have been that my eyes seem a bit less bloodshot/dull and my face seems a little less red. during drinking though did anyone else's skin become dry? ive always had dryish skin but in the last year or so its gotten much worse and i'm wondering if this is an effect of the alcohol? anyone notice that?

Opivotal

Hi Riverboat.

29 days for me and just noticed yesterday my face looks better. I do take vitamins and working out a bit. Drink lots of water with lemon .......helps the liver detox. Heard that yesterday on morning show.

Keep up the good work it only gets better!

SASA

I am at dy 14 today and I lost 6 pounds of my weight and also feel like my eyes are more shiny and my hair is fuller (but maybe it's jsut me. Also my red face seems to get less red.... I hope I can report back after 1 month. I am taking lots of water and vitamin, quit the caffein and replaced it by herbal tea... Alos started long walks and swimming

Opivotal

Maybe a little dehydrated Solar. When I was drinking Dr. said I was. Yes skin dries out from not enough water. Guess all that wine didn't count! lol

Day 5 Great!!

MelindaFlowers

Hi Riverboat!!

Great post. I feel like I could have written it myself. I'm 28 and the past four years of vodka binges every night my appearance has gone down the tubes. Recently my partner and I were looking at photos from about four years ago and he said, without thinking, "that doesn't even look like you!" It was like getting stabbed in the gut. And needless to say he put his foot in his mouth.

I'm not sure whether it is the 30 lbs I gained in three years, the bloodshot puffy eyes, or the reddish/gray tint my skin had become. For the past two years I have basically refused to have my picture taken.

These were my physical changes in appearance:

I gained 30 lbs.

Bloodshot eyes everyday.

I was not able to wear contact lenses for 3 years. When I tried to wear them my eyes would become very red and irritated. This was especially traumatic for me because I do not like the way I look in glasses.

Pale face in the morning. Sweaty flushed face in the afternoon after rehydrating.

I showered every day but that was about it. I stopped doing my hair, properly groom my eyebrows, etc.


When I decided to stop drinking my #1 helper was the hope of regaining my appearance. I've been sober for two weeks and I can already see big changes, but not quite the 100% turnaround I expected at this point.

Changes:

I can wear contacts again. I love that. Like I said, I hate wearing glasses.

I have lost 13 lbs. (Hooooooooray!)

My energy/motivation is back to flat-iron my hair, put lotion on every night, etc.

My eyes are looking much better but not back to the sparkling white like they used to be.

Skin looks much, much better.


I am taking a multivitamin everyday, drinking lots of water, and trying to eat better too.

I've also posted some pictures on my fridge of myself from a few years back. Slender, bright-eyed, healthy. I recommend doing this.

RiverBoat

Cheers Melinda for the reply. My appearance is a big incentive for me to get sober. It may be vain, but I think you should care about the way you look, and I think people really can tell if you drink and don't look after yourself. And there is no doubt it makes some people look much older than they are, I know if I continue drinking for another 5 or ten years I will look terrible, literally. I too refuse to have photos taken, and I hate looking at myself when I was 19 or 20, when i looked healthy

Some people can and do get away with drinking and coming off not too bad, at least physically I reckon. Not me.

almay777

Not me either Riverboat. Feel rubbish today (on day 8) and tempted to throw it all in. I cannot see much of a difference physically either and this one one of my main motivations for getting sober. Lets hang in there and hope it gets better.

Andi

Hey River,

I struggled with exczema quite a bit (lots of different dermatologists over the years), my skindoc explained to me that we don't have enough sebum glands, and the ones we do have don't work the way they should. The skin doens't get "oiled" the way it does with people that don't have this problem. So this can be taken care off by a good skindoc. Treat yourself with an appointment, you deserve it!
Of course we added to the problem by using alcohol, which is horribly dehydrating! I remember the day after a binge, my skin would just crawl and be itchy.

Your appearance will get better as time goes by! You'll probably notice it less yourself than people who don't see you every day. And we can't expect the damage, accumulated over the years, to be undone that fast.

But I bet if you took a pic say every two weeks, same day, same light....and line em up again in a few months you'll see the changes.

Well done on staying sober!

sampar

After years of drinking i'm afraid it takes it's toll. Dont expect too much too early & you wont be disappointed. Well done on your soberity!!! Give time, TIME !!!!

coffeenut

Yep...it just takes time. And, the longer you're sober, the more benefits your health gets.