COULD YOU GO BOOZE FREE FOR A MONTH?

Jennifer Packer, 38, noticed the impact her nightly glass of red wine and weekend G&Ts were having on her skin. So she went teetotal for 28 days

- LAUREN LIBBERT

DAY ONE

A couple of weeks into the first lockdown, I was having a glass of wine every evening, either with dinner or on the sofa watching TV once my kids Diana, 10, Liv, seven, Stella, five, and Ada, three, were in bed. It became almost automatic. I would pour myself a glass out of habit and, at weekends, I was drinking gin and tonics as well.

I would never drink a lot at once, but even smaller amounts regularly were taking a toll on my skin. I’ve always had some redness on my face, but it was getting so much worse, with blotchiness especially around my nose and cheeks, and overall, my skin was far more irritable and sensitive.

I became so selfconscious that I would never leave the house without thick foundation and concealer. The drink made me sleep badly, too, and I’d often wake up in the night after a bad dream, and have dark circles under my eyes.

I also hated the way I’d get so flushed after exercise and it would take hours for the heat in my cheeks to go down. It got to the point where my skin was always red and I felt terrible about myself. Something had to give and I set myself a challenge to go without any booze for a month.

DAY SEVEN