Yes, Alcohol Ages You Faster!

In episode 117 of the To 50 and Beyond podcast - I talk about the physical, psychological, and social effects that stem from a long period of alcohol consumption and answer a question for a listener. 

 Do you think alcohol makes you age faster? I feel like my face is changing daily - I workout, eat well, take vitamins, and use expensive skincare - is it the alcohol?! 

Brace yourself for the answer...

Yes, I do!

In my personal experience, when I was forty-five, I felt and looked older. Not that getting older is a bad thing. I praise women in the middle of life and beyond, and I also know that I how you feel is subjective. 

For me, alcohol made my body feel inflamed which made me ignore exercise because I was already sore and stiff. And, the hangover munchies kept me from eating food that helped me look and feel my best. 

I feel my best when I'm taking care of myself and when I was drinking, I was the last one on the list.

The apparent reason why is because alcohol is a diuretic, and it dehydrates you. It has both stimulating effects and sedating effects, so it disrupts your sleep - two of the biggest factors to looking older than you are. 

You get up in the morning tired and try vs. rested and moisturized. I don't know about you, but I will take rested and moisturized any day!  

When I was in my early forties, I woke up one morning and looked in the mirror and gasped! My jowls were hanging lower than my chin, my eyes were puffy, and my skin looked grey.                                                                       

I was drinking two bottles of wine in a short period, and the night before was just another day of drinking. I had told myself that everyone drinks this way, so it was normal to feel hungover for at least 24-hours after a night of sitting on the couch chugging chardonnay.   

I never realized that my drinking that started at fourteen was making my life at forty-two speed up and slow down at the same time. Every day felt like a battle with myself.   

I saw the aging on my face, felt it in my body, and realized that time was going faster than I wanted. In the meantime, I was buying the expensive anti-aging creams and searching for anything that would help me look younger without giving up the drink.  

• Intrinsic aging and extrinsic aging
• The effects of alcohol on the outer surface
• The effects of alcohol on our physical health
• The effects of alcohol on our mental health
• How to change your lifestyle and start to ease back on drinking
• Slowing down the aging process due to alcohol

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