Looking at the Telltale Facial Signs of Alcoholism
My alcohol addiction led to a lot of physical issues, with the most obvious one being my outward appearance. I struggled with a number of issues as a result of my alcohol abuse, including weight gain, skin sores, and spider veins. The worst of these issues was my ‘alcoholic face.’ The physical signs of alcoholism were right there staring back at me in the mirror.
If you or a loved one are struggling with drinking and the consequences are mounting, there is hope.
As a result of going to South Shores Detox and Recovery, I was able to get a hold of my alcoholism, and eventually start rebuilding my body. It took all the willpower that I had in me, but I found a way to do it because I was terrified by the damage done to my face and body.
Once I started to develop a little bit of self-awareness, I saw the effects of my alcohol use disorder. If you or someone you love has a battle with alcohol playing out across your face and life, please keep reading to learn how far down I got, and what eventually gave me a chance at lasting sobriety!
Beginning to See How Alcohol Affects Everything in My Life
Even if you know you have an excessive drinking problem, getting help is not as easy as it may seem. A lot of people try to get help to save their job or marriage. The truth is, unless you want to do it for yourself, it probably won’t work.
Recovery is an ongoing process and is something that has to be maintained. You don’t just get sober and then never have to put any effort into it.
You get out of it what you put in. If you put in the work, sobriety can be a very rewarding thing. We all have different reasons that help us get clean. Finding recovery for your health is one of the most common reasons.
South Shores Detox and Recovery did that for me, and they can do it for anyone who is willing to put in the work. Read more to see how I did it.
The Face Of Alcohol Addiction: 7 Telltale Facial Signs
My alcohol consumption got out of hand when I was in college, and continued to spiral out of control as I reached my thirties. This is when I started to notice the signs. It’s easy to spot an alcoholic face if you know what to look for. There are seven telltale signs of an alcoholic face:
- Facial redness.
- Dark circles under the eyes.
- Broken blood vessels.
- Dehydrated skin.
- Puffy face.
- Spider veins.
- Alcohol flush reaction ( flushed or reddened appearance to the face).
Alcohol flush reaction is a result of the body being unable to fully digest the alcohol that you consume. The toxins that are in alcohol begin to build up in your body, and typically your face suffers the most visible damage. Chronic alcohol consumption can also lead to excessive sweating, which can affect your skin as well.
Getting Detailed on Symptoms: From Blood Vessels to Spider Veins
Chronic alcohol abuse can cause a number of different physical signs, with skin sores being one of them. Drinking alcohol to excess can weaken the immune system, leading to a greater risk of skin infections and outbreaks.
Alcohol dries the skin, which lowers our skin’s defenses against certain skin problems. Those who suffer from heavy drinking are known to neglect their personal hygiene somewhat, which can further harm the skin.
The thing that really freaked me out was my yellow skin tone. This is the result of jaundice, which is a physical sign of liver problems. Other common signs of alcoholism include bloodshot eyes, gaining or losing weight, and sagging skin.
My excessive alcohol consumption resulted in just about all of these issues. Even still, it took a long time for me to fully notice and recognize how bad my appearance had become.
Curbing Excessive Alcohol Consumption
Fixing your alcoholic face as well as your other physical issues start with a lot of work on your mental health. You aren’t going to be able to do anything about your appearance if your mind is not right. Whether you are seeking help for yourself, your wife or partner, or your husband with a drinking problem, in most cases medical detox is the recommended first step.
Alcohol addiction is one of the most difficult addictions to overcome, because drinking alcohol is such an acceptable form of addiction in our society. It is readily available, and so many people excessively drink right out in the open.
It’s very important to seek professional help for alcohol abuse. Alcohol addiction can be very dangerous to try and overcome on your own. Alcohol is one of the few substances where a detox can be fatal. I’ve tried to quit on my own multiple times, and the withdrawal symptoms nearly killed me. In order to go through an effective alcohol detox correctly, it’s important to have some form of medical supervision.
Withdrawal Symptoms: When I Tried to Stop on My Own
Consuming alcohol for a prolonged period of time can lead to a physical addiction, meaning that you need alcohol just to feel normal. Common withdrawal symptoms include excessive shaking, anxiety, nausea, vomiting, and insomnia. Seizures are also common with alcohol withdrawal.
When I would try to detox on my own, I only ever lasted a day or two before the physical withdrawal would become too much to deal with.
There are psychological signs of alcohol withdrawal as well. These include anxiety, hallucinations, and depression. If your addiction is bad enough, you can also suffer from hallucinations. These hallucinations are commonly the result of delirium tremens. You can also suffer from confusion and a general detachment from reality. This is a very scary situation and usually occurs following years of chronic alcohol abuse.
Alcohol and its Damaging Effects On The Liver
The liver is one of the most complex organs in the body. It helps filter toxins out of our body and aids in our digestion. Alcohol has an extreme effect on liver function, and chronic alcohol consumption can lead to conditions such as hepatitis, liver disease, and liver failure.
The liver is very resilient and capable of repairing itself and generating new liver cells. However, prolonged alcohol abuse can disrupt these functions.
Chronic drinkers can develop a fatty liver, which leads to many of these liver problems. I was very close to liver failure as a result of my drinking. These issues with the liver usually creep up on you over time. A lot of drinkers don’t realize they are fatally sick until it’s too late.
The Onset of Cirrhosis and the End of the Line
Alcohol abuse will eventually lead to cirrhosis, which is typically a terminal diagnosis. Some people with cirrhosis and ascites are able to stop drinking and improve their chances of survival. However, when it is advanced it is usually not reversible. Once your liver is done in, there’s no fixing it.
You can hope for a liver transplant, but for alcoholic liver damage, unless you can demonstrate you are now sober, this operation is usually not performed.
Each Person’s Struggle with a Drinking Problem Is Unique
Alcohol abuse wreaks havoc not only in your personal life, but on the lives of those around you as well. There are a lot of common themes between individual alcoholics, but everyone’s addiction is unique. We are all different, and all require different ways of getting help. This is why South Shores Detox and Recovery is such a great resource for addiction treatment. The effects of cirrhosis on the liver cannot be reversed.
Once I was finally able to face my alcoholism and try and fix it, I put myself in the best position to succeed. There is something to be said about being sick and tired of being sick and tired. You hear it all the time in recovery. Once you finally realize how bad your addiction is, you will learn that there are many things you can do to work through it.
Reach Out to South Shores and Overcome Alcohol Abuse
South Shores came up with a treatment plan tailored to my specific addiction, helping me deal with the underlying conditions that I was dealing with mentally. Alcoholism affects millions, and not everyone with an alcohol addiction is going to seek help.
From my personal experience I know that when you choose South Shores to begin your recovery journey, you will find yourself in good hands! If you or someone you care about can recognize a bit of your own struggles in my story, reach out and get options for sobriety support with them.
The only thing I would change is having made the call sooner, so pick up the phone and get help now!