Shocking before & after photos reveal what REALLY happens when you give up alcohol – from reverse ageing to weight loss
AFTER a heavy night out you might claim “I’m never drinking again” – but would you ever actually give alcohol up entirely?
Actress Anne Hathaway, model Cara Delevingne and former Made In Chelsea star Spencer Matthews are just three of the many famous faces that have either gone tee-total or embraced a more sober lifestyle.
In fact, in a recent interview with The Sun on Sunday, Spencer, 35, described his previous relationship with alcohol as ‘out of control’.
But since giving it up in 2018, he’s now able to ‘push his boundaries‘ – and completed 30 marathons in 30 days in August.
We all know that booze is harmful to the body, with chronic consumption risking liver damage or failure, heart disease, stroke, gastrointestinal problems, and cancer.
But alcohol can have a big effect on how we look, too.
Dr Emma Cunningham, aesthetic doctor and founder of Dr Emma Clinics, explains that it can wreak havoc on our skin.
She says: “Chronic alcohol use often results in dehydration, which strips the skin of its natural moisture, causing dryness, dullness, and fine lines and wrinkles.”
If you already suffer from conditions such as rosacea and psoriasis, alcohol can make these worse, according to Dr Cunningham.
It can lead to a flushed complexion due to the dilation of blood vessels.
Dr Emma adds: “Alcohol can also impair the liver’s ability to detoxify the body which can lead to a build-up of toxins that could contribute to skin inflammation and breakouts.”
Shenaz Sharrif, founder of The Face and Body Clinic, London, says: “For the scalp, alcohol causes dehydration, leading to dryness, flakiness, and exacerbating conditions like dandruff and hair loss.”
Oh, and let’s not forget the empty calories in alcohol which can cause weight gain.
A 250ml glass of red packs in about 200, whilst a pint of beer is around 210.
Here, four people tell the stories of how they realised they were drinking too much, what happened when they quit, and how long it took to feel and look better.
‘I became more patient with my sons’
Jodi Clark, 41, Nottinghamshire
Jodie quit alcohol in 2022, aged 39, and is now a sober coach and mentor and founder of Sober Flourish.
She says: “Since a young age I’d always been a big fan of letting off steam every weekend.
“Alcohol featured heavily in my life ever since then. It was deeply ingrained into everything I classed as ‘fun’.
“During Covid I gained a lot of weight due to drinking more regularly and the stress of working from home with a two-year-old and a 10-year old… I was firmly at the bottom of the priority list.
“I made a choice coming home from an all-inclusive holiday in 2022 that I would take a 100-day break from alcohol.
“A couple of months in, I knew I’d never drink again.
“I was experiencing so many personal benefits from not drinking; I was finally able to be consistent in my fitness goals and nutrition, I was more patient and present with the boys, I was happier, my anxiety had vanished, I was losing weight, my skin and eyes looked brighter, my sleep was incredible, I was performing better at work.
“Now, almost two years alcohol-free, and I’m a qualified alcohol-free/sobriety and self development coach.”
‘I needed smaller glasses’
John Keltner, 59, California
John lost one and a half stone by following the Alcohol Free Lifestyle Project 90, going booze-free five and a half years ago when he was 53.
He says: “I used to drink beer and whiskey, I didn’t sleep well, I wasn’t clear-headed, I did not look forward to getting up in the morning.”
Now, at 59, he says he feels healthy and athletic.
“I had to get slightly smaller glasses because of all of the loss of puffiness in my cheeks,” he says.
“Everybody compliments me and says, ‘Oh, it looks like you’ve lost weight’. And some of them kid with me about looking skinny.”
‘I realised it was just a habit’
Michelle Pezzaioli, 51, Staffordshire
Michelle gave up alcohol in January 2024 and after just 100 days, she noticed a huge difference in how she looked and felt.
She says: “I had noticed over some time that I was saying to myself the next day after drinking, ‘I’m not doing this again’, or, ‘I need to stop’; this was whether I had one glass or one bottle.
“I just felt horrible all the time. I was fatigued, nauseous, I had no energy or motivation, I was unbelievably anxious all the time, withdrawn…the list goes on!
“I was also slap bang in perimenopause and I had read a lot about alcohol and the effect it has on that.
“I found I actually wasn’t enjoying drinking anymore, it just really was a habit.
“I started with Dry January and haven’t looked back.
“The improvement I have seen far outweighs ever drinking again.
“I just feel happier, healthier than I have done in years and my perimenopause symptoms have vastly improved.”
‘I lost 2st during the menopause’
Victoria English, 53, Colorado
Victoria English is a mum of three, cancer survivor and now, a stop-drinking coach at Alcohol-Free Lifestyle.
She says she would ‘self-medicate’ with drinking while raising her young children, which was then worsened by having a divorce in the early 2000s.
She mostly drank wine and in 2009, realised it had become a problem, struggling to avoid goals such as ‘not drinking until Friday’.
It was surviving triple-negative breast cancer – diagnosed in 2018 – that gave her the motivation to give up for good, after her oncologist said, “You just fought for you life, are you really going to let this take you out?”.
Victoria quit drinking aged 47, and lost 2st (13kg) as a result of going alcohol-free.
“And this happened during menopause,” she says.
“Most women believe it is impossible to lose weight after the ‘change’.
“Internally, alcohol won’t be doing you any favours either.”
Where to get help if you have a problem with alcohol
IF you think you might have a problem with booze then you may need to seek help.
This might be the case if you often feel the need to have a drink or if you get into trouble because of your drinking.
If other people have warned you about your alcohol habits and it’s causing you problems, then a good place to start is your GP.
There are other places you can go to get help too. These include:
- Drinkline: Call 0300 123 1110 (weekdays 9am to 8pm, weekends 11am to 4pm).
- AA – a free self help group that follows the 12 step programme
- Al-Anon Family Groups – a group for friends and family members impacted by drinking
- We Are With You – for individuals, families and communities struggling – call 0808 8010 750 – if you’re over 50 and worried about booze
- Adfam – local support groups and message boards
- National Association for Children of Alcoholics (Nacoa) – call 0800 358 3456
- SMART Recovery – to help people discover if they have a problem