In July last year, following my 48th birthday, I decided I was done with booze. I'd always enjoyed a glass of wine, and often found myself first and last at the bar on nights out, but as I got older, drinking alcohol left me with worsening hangovers, 3 a.m. anxiety, plus lots of self-loathing and guilt. Drinking also made my hormonal symptoms worse. My night sweats, brain fog and heart palpitations all intensified with every glass of wine, because as estrogen falls, your tolerance for alcohol falls too. The day I stopped drinking, I announced my newfound sobriety to my 27k+ Instagram community. I did it to keep myself accountable - hoping it would be forever - but deep down I wasn't sure I'd even make it past the first week. Little did I know, it would only take seven days for the benefits of ditching drinking to start showing up. Fast forward to today: I'm almost 63 weeks sober and still reaping the rewards. But the truth is, I didn't have to wait long to see results.
7 days sober: My face told the story
The transformation of going alcohol-free was shockingly quick in my face. On day one of no drinking, my face was puffy and my skin looked dull and flat. It revealed the truth I didn't want to say out loud: alcohol had been dulling my life since I turned 40, and I'd been trying to hide it under serums and blush. By day seven, the shift was undeniable. My face, much like my mood, had lifted. My skin was clear and glowy. And the only thing that I had removed from my routine was the one 'habit' I didn't want to admit was the problem: drinking.
Is 7 days of sobriety enough to make a difference?
"Yes - especially if alcohol was a regular part of your routine," explains dermatologist Mona Gohara. "Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it pulls water from your body and leaves skin dehydrated and dull. Removing it can quickly restore hydration and improve circulation, which gives skin that glow and bounce. You may also see fewer breakouts, since alcohol can spike inflammation and alter hormone balance, both of which can contribute to acne. Even a week off can be enough for your skin barrier to recover some of its moisture and for inflammation to start calming down,” Mona adds.
I also noticed another unexpected skin benefit from quitting - the 'pillow creases' in my face that I used to wake up with disappeared. "That's because hydrated skin bounces back faster," Mona explains. Better sleep plays a role, too - alcohol robs you of deep sleep, the stage where your skin repairs overnight. So better hydration plus better rest means your skin recovers quickly."
Skincare helped, too
Whilst I didn't overhaul my skincare when I quit drinking, I've always had a consistent regimen and I leaned on a few simple sober skin allies for those first few days of no alcohol. After cleansing, I used a vitamin C Serum to support my skin's resilience, followed by a barrier-repairing moisturiser to lock in hydration as my skin adjusted. I used a retinol every night, too. This helps to support the collagen process, which also increases in sobriety too.
The emotional glow up
The physical changes from quitting alcohol were dramatic, but the emotional ones were just as powerful. Waking up without self-loathing or guilt gave me a glow no skincare could mimic. I looked in the mirror and, for the first time since my hormones took a dip, I liked the person looking back. So many women beat themselves up internally about their drinking, just as I did for years. But sharing my vulnerability has opened my eyes to the beauty of being honest - and it's lifted more than just my mood. It has almost taken years off my face.
People often tell me that I have a face they can read like a book, and never has that been truer. The relief, the honesty, the absence of shame - it all shows. For me, that's the real glow up sobriety gave me: not just clearer skin, but a clearer, lighter version of myself.