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I reached six months alcohol free in January. I didn't have a problem but once I turned 23 I found my body just seemed to no longer tolerate alcohol and decide

I reached six months alcohol free in January. I didn't have a problem but once I turned 23 I found my body just seemed to no longer tolerate alcohol and decided just to try not drinking for a while. To be honest, my life hasn't really changed as a result (socially), but I definitely feel healthier, have a clearer head and my skin has never been better. Friends from college that kept drinking 4-5 times a week (2-7 drinks per outing), especially women, appear to have aged years more than me.

alt_f4 7y ago
> Friends from college that kept drinking 4-5 times a week (2-7 drinks per outing), especially women, appear to have aged years more than me. I have observed this too. Not sure why but this and also smoking seems to hit women's age appearance a lot more than men's.
- batt4good 7y ago
  It's really kind of uncanny. I think the root of it is alcohol dries out your skin and causes lots of mid-level inflammation. Smoking is just all around bad for your body (I didn't realize it causes your body to heal about half as fast - although I've never smoked), granted your face is always inches away from a source of smoke.
throw51319 7y ago
How long until you noticed the clearer head and the better skin? I wonder if it takes a certain amount of time (1 month, or 3-5-6 months)?
- batt4good 7y ago
  I had really bad skin in high-school and college. Unfortunately, my parents had me take antibiotics for years instead of just going through with a treatment of Acutaine. To be frank, I'm stunned that I don't have more severe acne scarring, fortunately my minor scarring is covered entirely by my beard. In my last two years of college or so my skin started to improve but was still incredibly dry and I continued to have dark circles under my eyes (which I've pretty much had permanently since childhood). I stopped drinking as often for about a year prior to completely stopping drinking, so I'm not sure how useful my experience will be to you, however I'd say about 4 months in I really started to notice how vibrant my skin was. Zits would clear within 1-3 days and my skin seemed to need less moisturizer and have a healthy "oily" texture. As someone who used to really enjoy drinking, I have no clue how or why people keep up drinking habits just to bend to social "norms".

alt_f4 7y ago

> Friends from college that kept drinking 4-5 times a week (2-7 drinks per outing), especially women, appear to have aged years more than me. I have observed this too. Not sure why but this and also smoking seems to hit women's age appearance a lot more than men's.

batt4good 7y ago
It's really kind of uncanny. I think the root of it is alcohol dries out your skin and causes lots of mid-level inflammation. Smoking is just all around bad for your body (I didn't realize it causes your body to heal about half as fast - although I've never smoked), granted your face is always inches away from a source of smoke.

throw51319 7y ago

How long until you noticed the clearer head and the better skin? I wonder if it takes a certain amount of time (1 month, or 3-5-6 months)?

batt4good 7y ago
I had really bad skin in high-school and college. Unfortunately, my parents had me take antibiotics for years instead of just going through with a treatment of Acutaine. To be frank, I'm stunned that I don't have more severe acne scarring, fortunately my minor scarring is covered entirely by my beard. In my last two years of college or so my skin started to improve but was still incredibly dry and I continued to have dark circles under my eyes (which I've pretty much had permanently since childhood). I stopped drinking as often for about a year prior to completely stopping drinking, so I'm not sure how useful my experience will be to you, however I'd say about 4 months in I really started to notice how vibrant my skin was. Zits would clear within 1-3 days and my skin seemed to need less moisturizer and have a healthy "oily" texture. As someone who used to really enjoy drinking, I have no clue how or why people keep up drinking habits just to bend to social "norms".