Two or three glasses of wine a week? Not a problem. But if you find yourself slipping into a glass a night, well, let's talk. Not about alcoholism, that's for another article or ten. Let's just talk about your complexion.

Mild Effects of Alcohol on Your Complexion

Drinking at its most mild, means dehydration. All forms of alcohol are diuretics. So as we drink that lusty Margarita, the tequila in it is causing our bodies to slow down production of our anti-diuretic hormones. Then, excessive urination further speeds up the loss of the body's fluids. And with all those bathroom trips we also wreak havoc on the delicate balance of enzymes, micronutrients, vitamins, and minerals (including potassium) that keep us functioning. Dehydration also brings on massive headaches. Effect #1 of your cocktail on your complexion? Even full coverage blush can't make you look perky. Your face will look pale and sallow.

But back to our flawless complexions. Makeup - even the most expertly applied - is no match for the effects of even one night of partying. We start the evening with beautiful, velvety skin, vibrant eyes alive with the latest eye shadows and sparkles. And as the party lumbers forward, our face and hands get dried out and our eyes get bloodshot. A little later in the evening, we're sweating. Why? Because drinks are mostly sugar. So our pancreas, bless it, responds by producing more insulin to handle the sugar dump. But it keeps removing sugar, and then it starts draining the sugar out of our blood. We then have low blood sugar. You might feel shaky, you'll definitely be tired, and you'll probably sweat. Effect #2.

Alcohol and Rosacea

Let's look at Effect #3. Anyone dealing with rosacea? Each person has a different tolerance level, but even one glass of wine can trigger rosacea. The red faces of those who drink too much are all too evident. And drinking over a period of time can cause that red flush to become somewhat permanent.

Don't panic, it is reversible, but if your complexion is red every day and you're experimenting with the green color correctors, it's time to cut out the Happy Hours. Make them Sparkling Water With Lime Hours. That can be a happy thing, too. And you won't have to deal with Effect #4.

Alcohol and Under Eye Bags

Ah, those under eye bags. Now to be fair, many under eye discolorations are genetically based, and some are just plain not enough sleep. Working too hard. Under stress.

Alcohol-based bags, Effect #4, are super droopy, super bluish-black, and they're usually accompanied by nausea, dizziness, or even faintness.

Alcohol and Sleep

Okay, now we're getting into the 2 to 3 drinks a night. Not all that uncommon. But Effect #5-ers fall into this group. Alcohol disrupts our normal sleep patterns. So drinking every night may first put us to sleep, but it's going to wake us up - usually around 3am. And at that point we often feel sick, grimy (we never took our makeup off), and frustrated. Because this is not the first time this has happened. We're off our game, we're run down, we're not our best at work.

Alcohol and Gastric Problems

But say there's a dinner party or bunko the next night. Effect #6: Did you know that alcohol is acidic? It's also quite toxic. It causes acids to build up in the stomach and intestines. The results? Queasiness, nausea, heartburn, delayed digestion (due to the stomach lining becoming inflamed), and a real date-breaker - diarrhea.

Alcohol and Your Complexion

Effect #7: I don't know how or why this happens, perhaps it's rosacea-related, but alcohol opens the pores on your face. And when we pass out instead of going to sleep, makeup gets rubbed into the open pores, causing pimples and blackheads. By this time, we've either gained puffy weight on our faces, or we've lost too much weight. Or both. Kids, it's a mess.

When to Give Up Alcohol Entirely

Obviously we've gone to an extreme here, and not everyone gets this far. But if you have achieved Level E-7, you've got to stop drinking entirely. If you're not an alcoholic, it should not be hard to switch to Italian Pellegrino water. Or even skip the bunko.

If you find you can't stop drinking, even as you see its effects on your complexion and your body, you'll need to join a recovery group. A fabulous one is Women for Sobriety (WFS). They have face to face meetings on local levels in many cities worldwide, but they're still growing and some places don't have WFS chapters.

Hazelden.org is a great site to check out. Their website is loaded with awesome information and activities, and they also run rehabilitation centers in New York, Illinois, Minnesota, and Oregon.

Alcoholics Anonymous is great, too, and each local group has its own "personality." So you can "shop" for the group that makes you feel the most welcome. Some have all women's groups, some have ACOA (Adult Children of Alcoholics) groups, some sponsor sports activities - today's AA is not your grandmother's AA!

Your personal beauty, your complexion, your health - hey, your life, job, family, and friends - can all be damaged by too much alcohol. But too much Perrier water? Never a problem.

                      Always check with your professional health care provider before making any changes in your alcohol intake.