To think after 12 years of binge drinking....

[flowerpot77]

You can never make yourself look radiant and healthy? My BF has given up for good... Long story MH issues, but she asked my opinion on how to make herself look and feel healthier. I could only think of drink lots of water? What do you guys think? Any tips/ advice?

Good diet, plenty of water, lots of walking and other exercise, great moisturiser ... good haircut and colour ...

Diet in general is important, not just water. So eating lots of fruit and veg, having balanced meals, etc is important too. Also need to combine this with exercise. Start by going out for a brisk walk every day then maybe think of joining a gym, doing some classes...things like that.

If she's reasonably young still - 30-ish? - and she looks after herself from now on you could find the body is more resilient than you think. Eating nutritious food, taking regular exercise, drinking plenty of water, spending plenty of time out of doors, a good skin-care routine, good quality sleep, avoiding things like caffeine, nicotine, salt, excessive sugar....... and she may yet avoid looking like Keith Richards. :)

Lol at COG, but am a bit concerened that she has dropped from 2/3 bottles of wine a day to nothing... Been trying to do some research but it's all quite contradictory. I'm gonna drag her to my Zumba class tonight as I think boredom plays a big part. Anyone have any ideas of vitamins or anything she hous be taking?

Oh and she's 36. But really does look much older

I had quite a hard-partying lifestyle in my 20s that I stopped once I started TTC. I actually look better now than I did then, despite being older, because I am healthier.

A lot depends on the age at which you make the change and how 'bad' you look at that point.

Magnesium, alcohol depletes it and it is needed for lots of vital bodily processes. B vitamins are supposed to be needed by drinkers too.

If you mean two or three bottles rather than two thirds of a bottle then she is almost certainly an alcoholic rather than a binge drinker and she should probably get medical supervision for a while rather than plunge into anything too strenuous. Remember what killed Winehouse?

does she smoke too?

cogito
winehouse point irrelevant as op friend has stopped drinking already

can't go wrong with multi vitamens.

oh and B12

No I really mean two three bottles over the day. Our other best friend is getting married in September and I guess after a get together whilst deciding on frocks where the shop assistant asked if she was the mother of the bride she deicded to do something. I'm gonna get her some magnesium and b vits, she's been dry for 6 days now (I hope) but is finally realising how much she had been abusing her body.

No she doesn't smoke. So magnesium, b12 and a multivitamin? Or is that too much?

Wine house went over my head a little, what was the story there? Was it drugs or alcohol?

Winehouse point entirely relevant because she had stopped drinking for a few weeks prior to the last session that killed her. Heavy drinkers put their bodies under great strain when they stop and go cold turkey which is why it has to be medically supervised.... and if they go from that to another binge it can kill them

It will only take a few days of not drinking to begin to look healthy again. I am speaking first hand here. I used to drink 2 bottles of wine a night, every night, for years. Got sick of it. Stopped & within a few days my face no longer looked bloated. As for suddenly stopping, everyone is different. I only drank in the evening so wasn't physically addicted so it wasn't a medical issue for me.

Great, now I'm going to have to drag her to a GP. What a they likely to suggest?

The OP says two or three bottles of wine but alcoholics rarely admit to the full extent of what they drink.

Thanks Hammy, we have been bf since we were babies and now at 36 ( well I will soon be 36!) I feel I need to do what I can to help her. I don't think she looks healthier yet... A little less bloated on the face but no other change really.

If she's really stopping it'll help if she has medical support anyway. She wouldn't necessarily get dangerous problems with going cold turkey but why risk it?

Typically it takes a few days to hit in so she still has time to go to a GP and ask, if she stopped quite recently.

I'd say milk thistle is meant to be good - it's proven to be good for your liver, though I suspect you'd need to drink masses before it had much effect. She might also want to go easy on stuff like paracetamol which is hard on the liver, and that's important if she's getting lots of headaches.

Fruit and veg and lots of water will make her feel better and look better, but it could be fairly slow, so she needs to stay strong.

is it the detox you are questioning or How to Look younger? op

She needs to be honest about the extent of her drinking and the length of time it has been going on. They will want to run a few tests probably to see how much damage has been caused and, if she was drinking more than wine (which is likely), they'll probably follow the kind of treatment options outlined on NHS Choices

If she's been drinking so much per day, her body will be physically dependent on and adapted to having high alcohol levels as part of its metabolism.

Stopping drinking suddenly can be very dangerous without medical support - she may feel very ill and at worst death can result from heart problems or strokes. She should see a doctor about support wth this. There are drugs she can take to get her through safely.

I hope she gets some ongoing support apart from you - AA? Most people can give up for a few days or a few weeks but the risk of relapse is high unless the underlying reasons for drinking are dealt with. Evenings can seem very, very long if you have got used to drinking your way through them.... And she may find that most of her social life is based around drinking and drinking friends who will be sorry to 'lose' one of their buddies....

You sound like a wonderful friend - she's lucky to have you!