Effects on apperance....
 

Today is day 9 for me. I have had lots of day 9's before. I'm really hoping this is my last one. Can anyone give me some hope that my physical appearance will go back to what it once was. I am so bloated from years of heavy drinking that I feel like a puffer fish. My face even looks swollen. I see myself from a distance in the mirror and I look awful. I have a double chin. My skin is very dry. I have dark circles under my eyes. I am so embarrased to go around anyone that I know that hasn't seen me in a while. I have put on 40 lbs in the past 2 years.

Has anyone had similar symptoms and recovered from them after quitting the poison? I guess that's just what it is, I am poisoning my body and it is starting to show on the outside. Funny how I could get away with it in my 20's. After turning 35 it seems it has all gone downhill. I am about to be 38 and I would like to enjoy the last year's in my 30's and hoping that being sober in my 40's will make that decade much better than this one.

I believe it will get better with time. People have told me how much better I look (at only 3 weeks) even though I've managed to gain 5 lbs already. I've been drinking TONS of water and trying to get some exercise. Hoping to up the workouts soon. Be patient with yourself. It took us a while to do the damage so it's likely to take a while to un-do. Of course, as alcholholics, we want what we want and we want it NOW!!! Lol.

Hang in there...

so 8/21/16 is your sobriety date?

my sobriety date is the most important thing in my life.

meetings
sponsor
steps
service
higher power

has been the solution for me


i do an hour of hard cardio everyday so i can eat what i want and still stay skinny

try some support groups to stay sober and dont worry about your other concerns

they will take care of themselves if you stay sober

your job is to stay sober!

God bless

:tyou

I think a lot of it will go away, especially the puffy face. I've been watching episodes of "Intervention" lately, usually the alcohol episodes, and you can always see a huge difference in their faces after treatment.

I've been alcohol and cigarette free for a month now and I can definitely tell a difference in my skin. I never really got the puffy face thing. But I have been drinking half my body weight in ounces of water a day, taking a daily multi-vitamin, and eating a balanced diet. I do keep track of my daily calories now, and have lost 10 lbs in a month.

So I'm sure it will get better for you! There's no way it could get worse if you stay sober, remember that. And of course, not to mention all the other health benefits of not drinking.

Wishing you much luck and success!

I'm 36 and was in a mirror image situation to what you are 7 weeks ago,

All of the clothes that I refused to throw away are starting to fit again and I'm feeling proper good about myself for the first time since in many years.

Stick at it my friend,

Bruno.

It'll take time and work but you can get back to where you were. Eat healthy and get some exercises. I'm 58 and it's impossible to be like you're 20 but in the almost one year sober I've lost 50 lbs, went from only being able to do a 15 walk to trekking to Mt Everest base camp this May and doing bike rides of up to 4 hours, 65 miles this summer. It was concentrated effort but I'm in as good a shape as I was in my 20's and look a Heck of a lot better than I did a year ago.

Oh yeah! I look like a different person!!!

It takes time but you'll get there. If you want some real evidence check out my rehab thread, page 9, about half-way down. http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...-report-9.html

Yep. Here's more visual evidence. This is from the day before I went to rehab. June 2015.

August 2015....14.5 months sober

Wowza bunny! What a difference! ((bunny))
P.S. You look gorgeous!

Amazing bunny and mera! You're both gorgeous!

My face looks different after 18 days. I don't think it's really noticeable but someone commented on it. I don't think I've lost weight but there are some clothes that had been a little tight that fit better. I also have at least 40 pounds to lose. There was a picture taken of me a month ago that was awful. I was horrified. I was at a high profile event and a reporter from a major national newspaper snapped my photo and took my name because he wanted to publish it. He emailed it to me in the first few days of August and I felt like I was thrown off a cliff. That person... is not me. I'm ok with natural aging and all but that person.... looks like an alcoholic.

This morning, I look like less of an alcoholic. My eyes are brighter and my face noticeably less swollen. I think it will take awhile but Bunny's photos give me huge hope.

Thank you!!!

I had several of those symptoms affecting my appearance and they are gone.

The dark circles (that made people tell me how "tired" I looked)? Gone.
The dry skin (and dry hair)? Gone. I'm now tanned from outdoor exercise and my skin looks a heap better. My hair is shiny.
Weight gain? Gone. I lost my booze belly.

I'm five years older than you and sure can relate to wanting my 40s to be great. It was my 43rd birthday last week and my wish is coming true. That makes the tears want to spring to my eyes actually ...

Getting and staying sober is giving yourself the gift of life back, on so many levels. A healthier, better appearance is just one of many, many benefits. Well done on day 9 and keep going, blink!

Bunny, Mera ... you are both gorgeous women, inside and out. :)

Way to go Mera & Bunny - great examples of sobriety

Oh yes my friend. I can tell you I’m at 75 days today. The face bloat and skin discoloration went away first, within the first two weeks or so. The weight has also been coming off, but slower. I have gotten a “shape” back – even though I haven’t lost a ton of weight I can see definition in my body that I didn’t have for a very long time.

Hair also improved pretty quickly, it is soft and shiny which it hadn’t been in decades. I really thought it looked ugly due to age, I didn’t realize it was due to alcohol. But now I know…

I can relate to you, I lived in mortal fear of running into anyone I used to know for years and years and years…I’m past that now. I am certainly no super model but I look like ME again, and that is just fine as far as I’m concerned.

This is not even getting started on the internal benefits, of which there are many.

Best of luck to you!

Wow Bunny and Mera. Definately gives me hope. Thank you to all of you for your responses. When I think about it it is all so stupid actually. I can see how non alcoholics do not understand. Why in the world would I let something as ridiculous as alcohol be a priority over my looks? My health? My relationships? Well, I know why, because I am an alcoholic, but the logical part of me thinks it is so stupid. I was so thin and in great shape before alcohol. And for the past 15 years I have drank myself into a mess. I can't stand to look in the mirror. I don't even recognize myself. I need to stop worrying about the physical appearance so much and just focus on one day at a time and each day will be a day toward getting back the healthy version on ME.

Just keep working on it blink. You'll be amazed when you look back. You'll often hear that it gets better. It really does. Much better than you can imagine.

EVERTHING improves with sobriety :) I was looking over some old pictures and was shocked to see my red and puffy face, takes years ago.....how we fool ourselves.

Keep things simple, be kind to yourself....staying sober is your top priority, the rest will fall into place. I'll be 59 this week and do Jazzercise 3 times a week, yoga 2 times a week and water aerobics 2-3 times per week and feel good :)

Oh wow!!! That's awesome!