Drunk look
 

I've acquired the look of an alcoholic. I'm 15 days in and took some pictures of myself as a personal project. I have very low self-esteem and have a weight issue so I never look in the mirror more than I absolutely have to to get ready for work. So I took some self-photos to see what I really look like, and I'm a mess. My face is bloated although it's gone down somewhat in the past 2 weeks. My eyes are sunken. I have jowls. I look older than I am. My skin is red and blotchy.

Has anyone else had this and does it go away with sober time?

Thanks.

I guarantee you'll look better in time backbeat :)

Stopping drinking, smoking, and embracing a healthier lifestyle has made all the difference to me :)

Give yourself time to heal tho - it can take a little patience.

D

Yes, I'm almost 9 months in and the transformation is shocking. I eat healthy and take care of myself now. People who haven't seen me in a while always mention that my eyes are bright, skin looks good and that I look very happy.
Hang in there, you're worth it

I had this too, and still do to some extent. When I asked got asked a simple question "How long you been drinking?" To which the answer was 27 years. Then I was informed "It took you that long to get this way, don't expect changes overnight." That applies to lots of things about getting sober, not just the physical looks. I'm having to learn patience...

yes! i've lost about 30 pounds, my cheeks aren't puffy, my eyes aren't dead looking anymore, my skin is WAY clearer, my hands aren't swollen...it's a total change. i'm at 6 months sober. i was noticing significant changes around a month and a half to two months and it just kept getting better. even my hair is more shiny and my fingernails are stronger!

I noticed it last weekend when I was having my hair cut. Usually when I'm sat in front of a mirror I cringe. I also avoid it at any cost. My haircuts always take place on a Saturday morning-always hungover and shaky.
Last week I took a good look at myself:my eyes were bright, my face wasn't puffy, I was smiling and alert and able to talk to the hairdresser without stumbling over my words. I looked ok!
It was my eyes that really said it all. Clear, blue and sparkling. I looked like a different person. Almost 4 months sober and a transformation! Hang in there x

When I was drunk it got to the stage that I could not even look at myself in a mirror when I went to the bathroon....even more so the next morning it was even more difficult to look at myself. Some mornings upon arriving at work I would have to down a coke or 2 just to get back on track again and also the deep deep shame and low self esteem that I was going to work hungover to meet colleagues etc. I am 15 days sober. I have also changed my diet (breakfast, lunch, light dinner - no snacking between meals....loads of fruit and veg). I have already lost some weight. I have noticed that my crocs are looser...or maybe its my imagination. My wedding ring is also looser....or maybe that is also my imagination. As regards bloating - for sure it is less - especially in the morning after drinking a load of beer the night before. About a month ago I saw a photo of myself with red blotches around my neck area - they were clearly visible - for sure I was drinking alot the night before.

Jeni26 posted about getting hair cut....yes I have had that problem too....except I usually get mine cut once as month on a Friday morning at 8.30am.....how many times the night before had I drank 8, 9, 10 beers and then some more at home get up next morning hungover, red eyed, bloated.

I am only a few weeks, I check in to this website once a day - mostly to read up on others experience, which really helps so much, expecially the experience from members who have had a relapse and regretted it so much and members who are sober for such a long time that friends do not recognise them when they meet that person.

As regards the look of an alchohlic and bloated face - I'm sure that once an alcoholic has become sober he/she can spot or identify another alcoholic. To be honest I am sure that a one or two colleagues at work can recognise that I am an alcoholic - but work colleagues are never going to say to you - 'hey I think you drink too much, your face is red and fat, you have a big gut, most mornings you eyes are red'.....I don't mean to stereotype an alcoholic by writing the above sentence.

Backbeat, you won't believe how much different your face looks after you quit. Definitely less puffy/red (even after a month for me, but two to three months was even better).

I also indulge now in better face products and even something called photofacials which help with my rosacea. Although I drank a couple of times this summer, when I returned to work, many people commented on my refreshed look.

Good luck to you and be patient!

I was convinced I was just a red and blotchy person, I would get flushed really easily and people often thought I'd 'caught the sun'. It has literally got a little bit better everyday. I used to have all these red marks on the back of my hands and arms which have all gone. My favourite improvement is the lack of puffy hands... I work with my hands so it's nice not to have to do that with puffy fingers :) It will get better x

Yes backbeat as everyone says your looks will improve with time.

I love seeing people in the rooms of AA getting better.I see them looking younger, it is wonderful.

i myself was very bloated when I stopped drinking,looked just awful.

Stick with it.

When I was 15 days dry I was a poor judge of anything.......

If I woke up on the right side of the bed the whole world looked wonderful and everyone was my friend.
If I woke up on the wrong side the world sucked and everyone looked mad or depressed.
It was the same world and the same people, it was just my outlook that colored the perceptions.

As others have said, keep going to your meetings and you will see yourself as you really are and be quite satisfied with it. After all... you are God's work.

All the best.

Bob R

My skin looks much healthier and I've lost weight and have increased energy.

Thank you... I guess that's something I'm a little short on. Now that I think about it, I had a friend who was a heavy drinker come to visit about a year ago and she looked better than I had ever seen her, and I had known her 15 years. It was because she had stopped drinking for a few months. She did look better than she did 15 years earlier, younger even.

Thanks. It was pretty depressing to see what alcohol did to me. I look at least 10 years older than I am.

Thanks - this is my experience to a T. I was talking to a colleague recently and we were discussing weight, gain, etc. and I commented on my stomach (beer belly). She knows nothing about my personal life, but looked down at my stomach and said "well that's all the alcohol." Talk about mortifying. I think I'd rather be asked if I was pregnant.

I feel so much better being 16 days sober... I guess it was such a reality check to find that my outsides weren't matching my insides yet.

The real reason I started taking these pics of myself was just because I bought new studio lights, I'm a photographer on the side. I was testing them out, learning what position looks best. When I brought the pics into my computer I forgot all about the lights and focused on what I looked like. Then I took more. I just could not believe that that face was me. A wakeup call for sure.

I came back home after my father passed away for his funeral...I was in bad shape. My mother just looked at me and said...You look like a rummy.....A very humbling experience.

Yep things are changing slowly for the better, might have to buy new clothes soon, smaller sizes !

Skin clearer.

Lost just under 2 stone :)

Only annoying thing is my beloved old omega watch is a bit loose now , not to sure if I can get the metal strap adjusted without it being too tight :(

I would say last 5 weeks the weight has starting coming off after a big stagnant period, but I have started hitting the treadmill 4x a week doing 5k runs etc.

Its a win win win situation, everything is slowly getting better and better.

Take this morning awoke fresh at 630am was in gym at 7am on treadmill, love it !

Thanks for this post backbeat. I'm still in early stages and this is great motivation!

This is true...And I think that's why we put in the work....No matter what method....To get it....And to hang on to it.

Agree 100% its worth all the hard work, was just thinking what would drinking give me if I went back to it, absolutely nothing apart from reversing all my gains, scary.

Have a great weekend all :)

For me...A misery I never want to see again...Or doubt I'd live through.