Giving up alcohol for vanity?

[VanityWitch]

So, I'm thinking of going teetotal, yes, for my health, but mainly because I am terribly vain and my skin is crap at the moment and my sleep quality is also crap. I don't drink much, as in, I tend to only drink at weekends plus one week night, so Friday, Saturday and Sunday or Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, for example. Usually one or two glasses of wine. Not bucketfuls, but not thimbles either! So I guess that is a bottle of wine a week?

I'm sure by MN standards this makes me either a raging alcoholic or a puritanical stick in the mud, but you know.

Anyway, I'm planning to quit as an experiment, to see if I glow!

Is anyone thinking of doing similar? Would anyone like to join me on here to document our journey to glowage?

The bored panda link is amazing isn’t it, yes I agree everyone’s eyes were hugely improved, but for me the jaw lines were the most impressive bit.

Wow that bored panda link is very enlightening. Makes you realise that attractiveness is very tied up with health and well-being. Some of the people are unrecognisable in the sober photos.

I don't drink anymore and I put weight on but it did level out.

On the very odd occasion I drink alcohol now even a glass will make me feel awful for days after. I think you acclimatise to the side effects of alcohol as an adult sadly.

The bored panda link is just wow, but I don’t think giving up alcohol was the only change these people made. You can really see it in their eyes.

I have cut down alcohol from 3 days a week to 1 day this year. I am not ready to give up my couple of drinks on Saturdays. I never binge drink but found the extra glass of wine sneaked into my evenings far too often. I am also giving up for vanity and more sleep. Hope we can keep this thread going as I really need vanity- motivation😆

So I'm at the 2 week mark and can't believe that my jowls have all but gone! I'm gutted I didn't take any before photos but to be honest I didn't think I'd see much of a difference so didn't bother, kicking myself now. Also I've lost 2.5 pounds.

@Fiftysixthnamechange

So I'm at the 2 week mark and can't believe that my jowls have all but gone! I'm gutted I didn't take any before photos but to be honest I didn't think I'd see much of a difference so didn't bother, kicking myself now. Also I've lost 2.5 pounds.

That’s amazing! I am taking sideways selfies, the first one was horrific. Last night I saw a teeny difference but decided I would need to lose more weight. I have lost 3.8 pounds, still over a stone and a half to go though. Are you a usually a good weight anyway? Well done!

The bored panda link is just wow, but I don’t think giving up alcohol was the only change these people made. You can really see it in their eyes.

I know what you mean, hteyclearly have made other changes, probably mental and physical, but it does make you wonder whether quitting the booze was the catalyst for those other changes IYSWIM?

I have new scales and i wish I hadn't wasted my money as I really have lost half a stone!!

I am still not sleeping well though and am beating myself up thinking I probably use to "pass out" rather than go to sleep like a normal person and now I have to learn how to do it all over again

Oh well, busy busy busy at work this week so I will collapse in a heap at the weekend and get some sleep then.

My 100 days alcohol free before and after pic really shocked me. I looked bloody awful before

Can I ask how much those of you who saw really big benefits drank? I also see beginning of jowls 😩but not sure if I drank enough for cutting down from 3 to 1 day would make much difference? Please tell me it will

I am 5ft 5 and weighed 11 stone 7. Now 11 stone exactly.

I used to drink every single night, typically two glasses of wine, then two or three home poured vodka and diet cokes on a weekday. Possibly more at weekends.

However, that is a tiny part of the story as the real issue was what I ate whilst I was drinking. Crisps, chocolate, peanuts, cake.

When I don't drink, I just have my dinner then that is enough. I don't get any inclination at all to snack. That is where I am really saving the calories.

Hope this is useful.

checking in 🙂

Can I ask how much those of you who saw really big benefits drank?

dry since 1 Jan so almost 2 weeks. no visible difference yet whatsoever - I actually think I look worse. I drank about 2-3 glasses of red wine every day. Maybe I drank too little to see a difference quickly

I sleep loads better though which makes a massive difference!

@Cecily42

Can I ask how much those of you who saw really big benefits drank? I also see beginning of jowls 😩but not sure if I drank enough for cutting down from 3 to 1 day would make much difference? Please tell me it will

Loads.

Half a bottle of wine or two or three large gin and tonics most evenings.

Weekends would be two or three large g and ts and half a bottle of wine.

Oh and ‘weekend’ meant Friday, Saturday and Sunday night.

Checking in. Still dry. I do think I’ve seen an improvement in chin puffiness, but my sleep has been terrible (nothing to do with booze, DS keeps waking us up by coming into our bed and then the dog has started waking up at unsociable hours ).

Those before and after pictures help, though. I am determined to emerge from this lockdown like a butterfly from a chrysalis.

I’m still going too. I’m a bit disappointed that my sleep hasn’t improved as much as I hoped it would...it’s a tiny bit better though.
But, my skin and eyes are definitely much brighter. I wasn’t a heavy drinker and always had Monday to Thursday ‘off’, so am pleased to see the difference that I have.
Next I just need to tackle my chocolate addiction. Tbh, I strongly suspect that quitting sugar would probably yield more results for me than no alcohol has, but that’s a whole different kettle of fish!

I didn't take any before photos, and the weight loss (900g) so far isn't huge (but I was fairly fit and slim to start). We just decided our consumption had been creeping up during 2020 through boredom.

I have about a stone to lose, so not loads but I definetely put loads on last year, as did everyone! I'm not what I would consider a big drinker, I don't drink during the week anyway, at weekends I would probably have 8-10 drinks, mostly beer or red wine.

I drank 2 Gins every night, not had a drop since New Year’s Day. Feel fresher in mornings, lost 3.5lbs but am doing low carb too.. skin looks better (I think), finding it harder to get to sleep but feel better on waking..less fugly.

Can’t WAIT for feb 1st G&T tho!!

Really fancying a glass of cold wine but I know it's that time of the month and it's just my body craving relaxation. I've had a nice bath and that's helped. I'm going to substitute for a cold Becks blue and fight my urges! No weight loss here but it's bound to happen if I keep going as the amount of empty calories must have been off the scale . Skin is massively improved that's motivating in itself .

Hope everyone’s having a good Friday evening. We survived another week - celebrating with a slice of cake in lieu of the usual gins / wine.

16 days in. Not missing it really. Scales haven’t moved but feel a bit healthier

Anyone else struggling today? Day 17 for me and this has definitely been the hardest. Not sure if it’s boredom or pmt...

I’m struggling to start but I really want to! I want to kick this habit. I’ve been drinking so much since December.

How did you get on backtoblack? Weekends are tougher!

Reading what would motivate you? You could make a list of what you want to achieve?

I’m not missing it too much, but I have been in a bad mood. It could be hormones, or just the irritation of us all being on top of each other all the time again, but I do wonder if it’s brain chemicals adjusting. I have been unusually grumpy.

On the positive side, I appear to have lost two pounds. I’ll take angry but thinner

Thanks for asking Bomb - I didn’t drink. I’m determined not to as the thought of going back to day 1 again puts me off. It was just a long ass day and weekends are definitely tougher psychologically.

Well done on your weight loss! Another brilliant reason to keep going x

Happy Sunday everyone x

@Bomblette

Thanks for asking. I think the list is a good idea. Better sleep would motivate me more than anything (I have insomnia) as well as weight loss, better skin (acne!), thinking more clearly ... it’s terrible to think all of that goes out the window when a glass of Tempranillo is in front of me ....

So, I’m going to drink tonight to finish the bottle & then I will be alcohol free as and from tomorrow. I know giving up alcohol isn’t a magic bullet but it’s a step in the right direction.