Can you tell how much WE DRINK?

We're often told that drinking alcohol ages us, so we investigate just how true it is

- SAMANTHA BRICK DAILY MAIL

Are your drinking habits written all over your face? Alcohol is said to cause untold damage to your appearance.

Not only can it trigger skin complaints such as psoriasis, but it's also believed to deepen wrinkles and cause puffiness and bloating. Alcohol's dehydrating effect means your skin loses fluid and nutrients, leaving it looking dull and grey. And it's not just your skin that suffers: alcohol can make your eyes bloodshot and dry out your hair, making it more likely to break and split.

So does this mean someone who regularly exceeds the recommended weekly intake of no more than 14 units will look older than their years? And, by the same token, that those who abstain will look forever young? We asked five women with very different drinking habits to do a closeup shoot - and then divulge their weekly totals...

'MY 50S ARE MY FREEDOM DECADE'

Alison Gibb, 59, lives in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, with her husband Douglas, 61.

Where alcohol is concerned, I’m making up for lost time. After three decades of going without, I now enjoy a couple of glasses every night. At weekends, my husband and I will go out and I’ll allow myself at least a half bottle of wine, or three or four pints of beer. But I don’t feel guilty.

From the age of 21 to 50, I suffered terrible migraines. They lasted up to three days, so I did anything I could to avoid them, including avoiding alcohol. When I went through the menopause, however, all that changed. Suddenly free of migraines, I tentatively tried drinking again. Once I had the green light, I really went for it.