sharp75

Hi everyone, im sorry for keep posting mgs but i love hearing familiar stories to mine, it helps me feel like i can overcome this when youse reply. did any of youse realise your personal appearance and hygiene went down hill. years ago i use to care about my appearance i couldnt leave the house without make up and always had nice clothes but i now feel and look like a tramp. i dont wear make up, i get greasy hair so i just scrape it back into a ponytail and i wear the same clothes nearly every day as i cant afford new clothes through buying drink. sometimes i dont even bother getting ready when i get up and if i go out ill just stick a big coat over the clothes iv wore for bed. did anyone else feel like they wernt motivated to bother about their apearance when drinking?

neferkamichael

Hi sharp. Yea I pretty much got to where I didn't care about much at all. Not only did I not care about personal hygiene, but I'm gonna hate myself when I get an estimate from my dentist.

Innerchild

Once I started drinking heavily gaining weight I couldnt care less. I was always in sweats with my hair pulled back. I did shower every day no matter how hungover or drunk I was but I felt ugly. I cared about my appearance before drinking and now I am sober I do my hair, make up and losing weight. I have gained more confidence in myself. The alcohol takes a toll on our appearance. I was looking at pics on FB when drinkingh heavily I see a big difference and I am only 32.

sharp75

iv done that aswell, i looked at pictures i have from when i was younger and cared about my appearance and i had nice hair, nice clothes and i was size 10-12 and it makes me emotional to see them pics as im not like that at all now. im now about a size 14 with a bad complexion and greasy hair. i feel like people are looking at me and thinking im a scrubber and when i see people that look pretty and slim i get jealous and bitch about them.

Dee74

My self regard and self respect came back with sobriety Sharp - I'm sure yours will too.

If nothing else it's easier to want to take a little more care of yourself when you're not hungover

D

oinobares

I went to bed--passed out--many nights without brushing my teeth. I slept in my contact lenses so they felt glued to my eyeballs in the AM. Slept in my clothes and wore them the next day. Hadn't seen a doctor in 15 years. Skipped showers. Didn't shave until my scruffy beard so it freaked out my kids. After every binge I went through a ritual of personal clean-up: cut my fingernails, shaved, long shower, laundry, haircut. Like emerging from the wilderness.

Anna

Your appearance will improve as you go through recovery. I lost weight when I was drinking. I remember a neighbor commenting that I looked thin, and I thought it was a compliment. Of course, looking back at it, I can see she was shocked by my appearance.

soberlicious

This was my experience too Anna. I found out later that everyone at work thought I had cancer. Even at my worse, I continued to try to put myself together each morning. But no amount of makeup, clothing, etc could cover up the gaunt frame, dull hair, yellow eyes and skin...I did not ever look into my own eyes in the mirror. They were so dead it was frightening.
Sharp, I think you will find that many have experienced what you have. Addiction ravages everything. By the time the outsides show it, the insides have been long gone Anna is right, your appearance will improve as you recover. More importantly, you will begin to take care of yourself because you will realize you are worth it.

Elisabeth888

Yes! Stop drinking and you will feel better about yourself and care about your appearance.

kiki5711

yes, it comes hand in hand. I use to just wear my house clothes all day. Mainly pajamas, tee shirt and some scraggly torn up jump suit pants.
when you start feeling good about yourself, you'll start taking care of your looks more.

Ready2Bmeagain

I thought my co-workers were just trying to be funny when they said we should name an upcoming promotion "Don's memorial fund campaign" and teasing me for my ideas about the promotion until I took stock of my appearance. Hollow sunken eyes with dark bags under them, pale complexion, etc. They saw what I wasn't seeing and were kind enough to try and tell me in their own way. It's only been a couple of weeks so far but the person looking back at me in the mirror this morning didn't look like the one having a memorial named for them.

BoozeFree

I used to sit around in pjs drinking and also often would pass out and not brush my teeth in the evening. Sunglasses to the store for more beer as well. What a complete 180 getting sober does.

SamanthaIam

All these stories are painfully familiar! I did it too -- same clothes for days, too fat and bloated to fit into any of my nice clothes anyway... not brushing teeth, no haircuts for ages, no sleep (only passing out until I came to, then drinking more). Feeling sick and awful and ashamed all the time, and looking worse.

Two weeks into no drinking, I look much better, take better care of myself and feel INFINITELY better.

ugh. What poison will do to ya!

pinkdog

Oh yes. I get that. In fact most of the clothes I wore there in the end, I got rid of. I wore them so much and they were so ugly, I just couldn't stand to look at them anymore. I made a big effort to get my teeth whiter. I went to the dentist too. I think drinking affects everything in your life. Having clean, fresh clothes and a clean, fresh environment are good for sobriety. I'm 2 years sober. Everything is crispy now. Hugs to you.:ghug3 PS you must be from the north because you say youse. I'm a southerner I say ya'll. That's funny

pinkdog

Except I am the opposite on the make-up. When I was drinking I had to wear a lot of makeup to cover up my swollen face. I had red broken veins too. Now I love having no make-up and a clean, healthy face. Have a lovely day. I like your posts.

pauladmits

Lol, you are not alone. I used to take care of my body, wear Lacoste and Polo everywhere, fresh pair of shoes every week, haircuts, shaving, and just made sure I looked good. Now I wear grey and black. Sweatpants everywhere, dirty shoes, don't shave, look like a street bum. My mom says I dress like a criminal, lol.

graham641

Hi Sharp. I like your post about looking like a tramp. When I binge I do not shower, do not trim my beard and wear filthy clothes. I wear rubber beach shoes, a pair of grimy shorts and a T shirt with food stains from the previous week. My beard is so out of shape that I look completely like a tramp. After the binge I clean up but am ashamed to go outside. I walk through a park to the store where I buy booze. There are a handful of drunks that hang out there. They look just like me. The crazy part is that I look down on them for not taking care of themselves. One of the drunks that I pass said "Here comes the clown". That was humiliating. I do try to keep my house in order...it makes me feel a little better.

sharp75

thanks for your posts everyone, due to my appearance i dont go to the same shop twice in a row as im sure theyll put 2 and 2 together so i set myself a pattern for different shops to go to. Graham im sorry but i was pissing myself laughing at what you said, not laughing at you but laughing as i have done exact same thing which was my boyfriend was taking the p out of me last week cos i had a t shirt with food stains on it and i continued wearing it for days. i rarely go out as i dont like people seeing me this way and seeing me wearing the same clothes. i tend to go out in the car, run in and out of the shop as fast as i can. if i see people i know i will make out i didnt see them and make an escape.