Our skin is a reflection of our internal wellness. Around any holiday or occasion where alcohol consumption is increased it is no coincidence that skin flare ups of acne, rosacea, eczema, extreme dryness, puffiness and other skin conditions tend to increase too.

Most articles and social media posts, even in the wellness community, about alcohol are focused on hangover cures, tricks to drink more on a night out, bloating remedies and ways to hide and quickly mask the signs our body and skin are giving us that the alcohol is hurting it. In this blog post we are going to explore the ways alcohol can affect the skin, my healing experience with alcohol, and some of my favorite mocktails to enjoy instead.

How can alcohol affect your skin?

The fountain of youth resides within you, and that fountain is your liver. Not so much a fountain, but a sponge. Alcohol is toxic in any amount so your liver’s job is to suck it all up. The liver being poisoned by alcohol hinders it’s ability to acknowledge, decipher, extract, and retain the vitamins, minerals, and other helpful materials that are also coming in through the blood. If your liver is unable to extract nutrients, the skin is also going to lose nourishment and antioxidants vital for its healthy appearance. If your liver is unable to effectively filter toxins because of alcohol injuring liver cells, causing it to become sluggish and stagnant, toxins to get to the skin through the blood and lymph which act as transporters. Rosy cheeks some experience when drinking is a sign of toxins in cells causing the warm sensation and flushed appearance. Alcohol is also very dehydrating which also makes it very difficult to cleanse or heal. Having hydrated, clear flow from within is critical for having a hydrated, clear glow on the surface.

Alcohol may be irritating for the gut lining, paralyze the vagus nerves, and poison the brain. The brain runs of glucose (sugar). Alcohol has the essence of sugar, however it is not a real source of glucose for your brain – Brain Saver Anthony William Chapter 12. It is a methyl-sugar and the more alcohol in your bloodstream, the harder it is for your brain to use any real source of glucose vital for its survival. Drunkenness, and alcohol poisoning are signs of the brain starting to die.

Drinking also has an impact on your adrenal health (your adrenal glands are responsible for stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline) and we are all familiar with the effects stress can have on our skin and health. Part of the reason alcohol can be addictive is because adrenaline is addictive, this adrenaline kicks in as back up fuel because your body has been put into a fight or flight state responding to your starving brain. These highs are demonstrated when people sometimes get very angry, or cry while drinking – it is a reaction to adrenaline surges.

Alcohol impacts our liver, brain, lymphatic system, circulatory system, immune system, nervous systems and skin. The following list features some of the ways alcohol could affect the skin. My fellow lymph-loving enthusiasts will also recognize these as common signals of stagnation within: 

• Puffiness

• Dark circles

• Dandruff

• Dryness/dullness

• Red palms

• Worsened acne

• Psoriasis

• Hives

• Flushing/redness

• Rosacea

• Skin cancer – alcohol interferes with the repair process of DNA damage - wedMD

• Decreased elasticity 

• Swelling

• Accelerated aging

My experience with alcohol and healing

Letting go of alcohol was a milestone in my healing journey, physically and spiritually.

I suffered with chronic cystic acne since age 11 and was always generally unwell. By the time I got my first job as a teen, I was so fatigued I couldn't believe that people went to school, worked, and socialized all in one day. I was suffering in silence because I thought everyone else felt the way I did, that I was just weak. It turned out I had mononucleosis which is stage 2 EBV. 

By the time I finished high school I was taking every type of Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen, allergy and cold and cough medications almost daily. I was also on antibiotics more times than not. There was a period of time I was sick 3 out of the 4 weeks a month. When I started socially drinking I couldn't keep up with any of my friends at the time. Whenever I went out to party and drink it would take me days, if not weeks to recover and I almost always was sick or home with a cold afterwards. My chronic acne, sore throats, fevers, bloating, UTI’s, yeast infections, brain fog and anxiety would also flare up worse and linger. 

I've currently been free from any pharma or over the counter medications since 2016, and around that time was when I began slowly cutting out alcohol. I eventually reached a point in my healing journey where I was feeling really good, my skin was clearing, and it felt wrong to drink alcohol. I was actively doing all sorts of wonderful things to take care of my liver, skin, and body, so why would I drink poison “for fun” on any occasion? This realization really made me turn inward and reconsider how, who, and where I’m spending my time and what energies I'm exposing myself to.

Along my healing journey I've also come to realize on a energetic level, alcohol lowers your vibration making it easier for dark energies to get in, creating holes in your auric field while numbing your psychic gifts and intuition distancing you further away from your higher self

I meet many different young girls and women through my work as a holistic esthetician. They often come into my treatment room saying things like “I have been drinking so much my skin is so bad”, “my skin was looking so good but then my friends made me drink at this event” and similar scenarios or confessions of not wanting to drink but feeling the societal pressures to give in and be like everybody else. I want anyone reading this experiencing something similar to know that you are just as fun, magnetic, and interesting sober as you are intoxicated (if not more), and if the people you’re with and places you’re go are not as fun without being drunk – maybe it's not you, it’s them.

Healing is cool, and just because you’re not drinking alcohol doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy pretty drinks at your gatherings with friends and family who love and respect you enough to support your choices.

Mocktails

Here are some of my favorite skin-friendly alcohol-free drinks to have at special occasions (or any time):

Wild Blueberry Juice
Wild blueberries are full of antioxidants and the ultimate skin healing food. Bringing a bottle of wild blueberry juice is one of the easiest ways to settle into any social gathering where there will be drinking, but you’ll be waking up with glowing skin instead of a hangover. I like to drink mine out of a wine glass or fancy cup.

Wild Blueberry Orange Sangria

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups pure wild blueberry juice

• 2 ½ cups freshly-squeezed orange juice or 2-3 lbs oranges, juiced

• 2-3 tbsp pure maple syrup, more to taste

• 1 cup sparkling water (optional)

• 1 apple, chopped

• 1 peach, chopped (or replace with nectarine or pear)

• 4-5 strawberries, chopped

• 4-5 orange slices

For details and directions to this Medical Medium mocktail recipe click here

Cranberry Orange Mimosa 

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups cranberry juice

• 2 cups freshly-squeezed orange juice

• 3-4 tbsp maple syrup (optional)

• 1 1/2 - 2 cups sparkling water

• Fresh cranberries, to serve (optional)

• Orange wedges, to serve (optional)

• Rosemary, to serve (optional)

For details and directions to this Medical Medium mocktail recipe click here

Choosing whether or not to drink alcohol is a soul decision that can have an incredible impact on the skin. I hope you find these mocktails as tasty and fun to make as I do and remember to be gentle and compassionate with yourself or those around you who choose to be alcohol free.

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