Originally published 2017-11-21.
What changes when people stop drinking
When regular heavy drinkers stop, the changes people notice first are usually in the face: less puffiness and redness, brighter eyes, and skin that looks better rested. Over months, many also lose weight, partly because alcohol is calorie-dense. The NHS notes that it contains about 7 calories per gram, close to fat, and a pint of 5% beer can carry over 200 calories. Blood pressure often falls too; a 2017 review in The Lancet Public Health found the clearest drops in people who had been drinking heavily and cut their intake substantially.
The 130 photos below were shared by people in recovery, mostly on Reddit's r/stopdrinking community, Imgur and personal blogs, and gathered into a well-known Bored Panda collection. Each one is captioned with what its owner said at the time: how long they had been sober, and sometimes their weight, blood pressure or the date they quit. We have added what can honestly be seen in each picture.
Keep one thing in mind as you scroll. Many of these people also changed how they ate, started exercising, or simply took the after photo in better light. The pictures show real lives, not controlled experiments, and that makes them more human rather than less useful.
Photos 1–33: the r/stopdrinking originals
Most of the first photos were credited to Reddit users, many from r/stopdrinking, where members mark milestones by posting side-by-side pictures. Several posters used the same clothes or pose in both shots, which makes their comparisons especially fair.
1. Seven months sober
Posted to Reddit's r/pics by ghostbackwards under the simple title “My sobriety”, this pair spans seven months. The bushy beard is trimmed, the cheeks are narrower and the redness around the eyes has faded. Facial puffiness and flushing are common with heavy drinking, partly because alcohol widens small blood vessels near the skin.
2. One year sober
silverladder shared this comparison in r/stopdrinking on the day the account marked two years without alcohol; the right-hand portrait dates from the one-year point. The jawline is sharper and the shadows under the eyes are lighter. Black-and-white photos flatter skin, so the change in face shape is the more reliable clue here.
3. 8.5 months sober
The Reddit post behind this pair names the turning point: 6 January 2016, the day she poured away her vodka. Eight and a half months later she poses in a football jersey in a bathroom mirror, far slimmer than in the blue dress on the left. Spirits are easy to underestimate; a 40% spirit carries roughly 230 calories per 100 grams.
4. Six months sober
Shared in r/stopdrinking as a six-months-later update, the first frame shows a long-bearded man lying back on what looks like an examination couch. The second shows him in a cycling jersey and helmet, giving two thumbs up. Exercise is one of the most common things people add once their evenings and mornings are no longer taken up by drinking.
5. 18 months sober
A white T-shirt and a heavy dark beard give way to a striped shirt, a patterned tie and a neat goatee. Eighteen months later the face is leaner and noticeably less flushed. The poster's Reddit username, dr_dan_is_sober, says the rest.
6. 18 months sober, again
This Imgur pair from luscrib89 also marks a year and a half. Sunglasses and a jacket in the first shot give way to a straight-on selfie with a slimmer neck and jaw. The sunglasses hide the eyes in the before photo, a reminder that comparisons rarely show everything.
7. 300 days sober
MEATTEO, who appears three times in this collection, chose a clever control: the same printed T-shirt in both photos. After 300 days it hangs loosely where it once stretched across his stomach. Wearing identical clothes is one of the fairest ways to show a change in body shape.
8. One year sober
At one year MEATTEO repeated the idea with a striped jumper and a telling prop: a glass of red wine in the before shot, a bottle of water in the after. The face is narrower and the jumper sits differently at the waist. The NHS puts a standard 175 ml glass of 12% wine at up to 158 calories.
9. One year sober: Beth Leipholtz
Beth Leipholtz wrote for HuffPost about the lessons of a year without alcohol as a 21-year-old, and these photos went with that story. She wears the same purple strapless dress in both, which makes the difference in fit easy to see. Choosing sobriety at an age when drinking is often treated as a rite of passage takes real resolve.
10. Five years sober
Five years separate these two selfies, posted to Imgur by redlightgreenlight. The later one shows lighter, highlighted hair, a slimmer face and a relaxed smile. Over half a decade ageing works against anyone's appearance, which makes a fresher look all the more striking.
11. Seven years sober
The left image looks like an older studio portrait; the right shows the same man years later in glasses and a red tie, smiling broadly. He is clearly older in the second picture, yet he looks healthier. Seven years is long enough for sobriety to change a person's whole routine.
12. 99 days sober
hannafr titled her r/stopdrinking post with a nod to the Jay-Z song: 99 problems, and 99 days sober. The first photo shows her outdoors with a blue plastic cup; the second, a close portrait with clearer skin and glossier dark hair. Just over three months is early, but skin and sleep are among the first changes people mention.
13. One year sober, with dates
The dates are printed on the photos themselves: 7 June 2012 and 10 June 2013. The poster's Reddit title listed a string of day counts, 18, 90 and 365, marking milestones on the way to a year. He has lost so much weight that the same style of shirt looks as if it belongs to someone else.
14. One year sober
A year apart, a young man trades a puffy, tired face for a much slimmer one under a knitted beanie. The ear gauges are the same, but almost everything about the face has sharpened. Recovery forums often call this change losing the bloat.
15. Six months sober
LegSkinner's post set out three stages, before, three months and six months; here we see the start and the end. In a white T-shirt both times, he is visibly lighter through the chest and face. The risks alcohol poses to blood pressure and the heart do not stop applying with age, and neither do the benefits of stopping.
16. 156 days sober
His Reddit title described his reaction, on day 156, to his old face. The earlier photo is flushed and swollen; the later one, in a black polo shirt, shows a narrower face and a steadier gaze. About five months is often when people start to recognise themselves again.
17. 500 days sober
MEATTEO's third appearance, at 500 days, uses a third matching outfit, a red Save Ferris T-shirt, and the same hand-on-chin pose. The bottles on the shelves behind him in the first shot are replaced by kitchen cupboards. Repeating a pose is a simple trick that makes before-and-after photos far more honest.
18. A couple, sober together
A couple marked three years, four months and 17 days of sobriety together with this collage. In the first frame both look flushed and tired; in the second they look rested and at ease. Quitting alongside a partner removes one of the hardest obstacles, a household where drinking is normal.
19. 95 days sober
Ninety-five days separate the Blood Donor T-shirt from the red one in the mirror selfie. The face is slimmer and the hair has grown out. oberApok's post asked what just over three months sober looks like, and this was his answer.
20. One year sober
Here a year without alcohol shows mostly in the eyes: the swollen lids and pale, grey tone of the first close-up are gone in the sunny second shot. The hair is lighter and the smile comes more easily. Better sleep is one of the benefits people report most often, and it tends to show first around the eyes.
21. One year sober
Credited to a Facebook profile, this pair shows a heavily bearded man in a trucker cap and, a year later, a clean-shaven version of him taking a selfie. Without the beard the leaner face is easy to see, and so is the grey in his hair. Honest pictures like this one are more convincing than flattering ones.
22. Six months sober
Six months after stopping, im_twelve_ swapped a stadium snapshot in a red jersey for a bright portrait in glasses. She looks brighter and less puffy. Sports events are among the settings people in recovery say they had to relearn without a drink in hand.
23. 11 months sober, now nearly four years
This after photo was taken at eleven months, but by the time it was shared the poster had passed three years and ten months. The grey shirt is almost identical in both shots, though in the second it is tucked in and worn with a tie. Matching clothes let the change at the waist speak for itself.
24. Four years sober
Four years apart, the first photo shows heavy eye make-up and a drowsy, half-closed gaze; the second, a wide smile and bright eyes. Her dark hair falls the same way in both, so the difference in expression stands out. Alcohol is a depressant, and many people describe their mood lifting once it is gone.
25. One year sober
The username theyseemesoberin puns on a well-known rap lyric, and the Reddit title gave a year without alcohol a perfect ten and promised to do it again. The second photo repeats the pose of the first, with a visibly smaller face and neck. It is a good-humoured post about a serious achievement.
26. 77 days sober
After 77 days, the flat expression and puffy cheeks of the first selfie have become a big smile above a colourful scarf. The poster wrote that they had not expected such a difference. Changes this early are mostly about swelling, skin and mood rather than large weight loss.
27. Seven months sober
MDCXXX described being almost seven months in and admitted it was hard going. The first photo is a cramped selfie with a friend; the second, a full-length shot in a floral shirt and sunglasses beside a car. Feeling comfortable in front of a camera is a quieter kind of progress, but a real one.
28. One year sober
A giant stein of beer and a Red Sox top in the first photo; a hand-written sign saying Hi SD in the second. SD is shorthand for r/stopdrinking, the Reddit community where arowan posted one-year reflections alongside these pictures. Many of the photos in this collection first appeared there.
29. One year sober
This pair comes from a personal blog post celebrating a first year free from alcohol. Her skin looks smoother and less red and her eyes brighter. Writing publicly about that first year is something many people find helps them stay accountable.
30. 100 days sober
Taken from the same angle and distance, these two close-ups make a fair test. After 100 days the redness across the cheeks and nose has calmed and the face looks less swollen. Plain, unfiltered photos like these are more persuasive than glamour shots.
31. 120 days without a drink
In the before photo he is slumped in a chair with a plastic cup; in the after he stands upright in a band T-shirt holding a green cup. Four months in, his face and posture look more alert. Keeping a soft drink in hand is a common trick for getting through social occasions.
32. Five months sober
A cap and a drowsy, swollen face give way to short hair, round glasses and a direct gaze. After five months the jaw and cheekbones are much more defined. The same gold chain appears in both pictures, a small detail that ties them together.
33. Five months sober
In the first picture she is in hair curlers holding a can of beer; five months later her face is slimmer and she wears a small cross on a chain. The change around the neck and jaw is especially clear. Beer is calorie-dense: the NHS puts a pint of 5% beer at up to 222 calories.
Photos 34–66: changes measured in years
This stretch includes some of the longest timelines in the collection, from two years to more than thirteen, and the one entry with hard medical numbers: a blood pressure reading that fell from 196/92 to 118/62.
34. More than five years sober
Her caption gave a sobriety date of 16 January 2011 and tagged the picture with recovery hashtags, among them #iamtheevidence. In the after photo she has a sharp asymmetric haircut and is laughing. Hashtags like these helped people in recovery find one another on Instagram.
35. Two years sober
Both photos include the poster's daughter, first at a father-daughter dance and then in a close selfie two years later. He looks leaner and far more relaxed in the second. For many parents, being fully present for moments like these is the main reason to stop.
36. 151 days sober
The before photo was taken in a hospital bed, in a gown, with medical equipment on the wall. Just under five months later the same man stands under a waterfall with his arms raised. For some people a hospital stay is the moment the decision to quit becomes clear.
37. 21 months sober
Over 21 months a short crop has grown into a longer cut and a tattoo has appeared. The after photo is dark and moody, so skin is hard to compare, but the face is clearly a different shape. Lighting is the most common reason before-and-after photos exaggerate or hide change.
38. Before and after
No timeline came with this one, only a smiley face. The stern, puffy expression on the left becomes a sun-kissed, smiling one outdoors on the right, with a bandana holding back her hair. More time spent outside is a change many people describe after quitting.
39. Two years sober
A baseball cap and a late-night grin in the first photo; a suit, tie and neat haircut in the second. Two years without alcohol shows mainly around the cheeks and neck. The formal shot hints at changes in work or circumstances, though the poster did not say.
40. 19 months sober
The first photo shows a man in a heavy jacket indoors; the second, a slimmer figure in a striped shirt with a golf putter. Nineteen months is long enough for steady changes to add up. Hobbies that once competed with drinking often come back.
41. 17 months sober
In the before shot she holds a cocktail and looks tired and glassy-eyed. Seventeen months later her face is slimmer and her eyes are clearer. Mixed drinks can be surprisingly high in calories because of the sugar in mixers.
42. 1,368 days sober
That is three years and nine months, counted day by day. The two close-ups show smoother skin and brighter eyes. Counting days is common in recovery because each one is a small goal that can be reached.
43. 15 months sober
A red top at a party gives way to a sporty zip-up and a much slimmer figure fifteen months later. The whole shape of her face has changed. Weight loss on this scale usually reflects new eating and exercise habits as well as the end of drinking.
44. Nine years sober
Nine years is one of the longer spans in the collection. The later photo shows a slimmer face, longer auburn hair and a wide smile. After that long, sobriety is simply part of who someone is.
45. 18 months sober
This pair is almost identical in pose: a smiling selfie outdoors and a black-and-white portrait 18 months later. The face is a little slimmer and the smile a little wider. Not every change is dramatic, and that is worth remembering.
46. 13 months sober, and no more soda
The poster said that as well as alcohol and other substances, she had also given up soft drinks. The first photo shows her at a bar with a can in each hand; the second, on a beach in a bikini, much slimmer. Cutting out sugary drinks can remove a lot of calories on its own, so this result has more than one cause.
47. Two months sober
Two shirtless mirror selfies show a soft belly and then a toned stomach only two months later. That is fast, and it almost certainly involved training as well as stopping drinking. The NHS notes that alcohol has about 7 calories per gram, nearly as many as fat.
48. About six months
The poster was vague about timing, saying roughly six months. The first photo shows long hair and a cat; the second, a Washington Capitals cap and a football shirt. The face looks less puffy, though the hat and angle make this pair harder to judge.
49. 234 days sober
She wears very similar glasses in both photos, which makes the slimmer face and neck easy to spot. 234 days is about seven and a half months. The same pair appears again at number 57 with the same day count.
50. Eight months sober
Against the same green background, a full face with stubble gives way to a much thinner one with visible collarbones. The tattoos and ear gauges are unchanged. Eight months of change in an identical setting is hard to argue with.
51. Five years sober
Five years apart, the first selfie shows plain glasses and soft light; the second, white cat-eye frames, bright lipstick and platinum hair. Her face is clearly slimmer. Newfound confidence with personal style is a theme in many long-term recovery stories.
52. 18 months sober, 100 pounds lighter
This is the only three-stage comparison in the set, and the poster reported losing 100 pounds, about 45 kilograms, over 18 months. A tight yellow shirt becomes a blue polo on a golf course and finally a Nike T-shirt with the brand's famous slogan. A loss on this scale almost always involves diet and exercise too.
53. One step at a time
One photo shows a man lifting his shirt to reveal a large belly; the other, a slim, tattooed man taking a selfie in a gym mirror. The caption borrows a phrase heard everywhere in recovery circles. The poster did not say how long the change took.
54. A one-year difference
This pair is harder to read: a glamorous selfie with lashes and a bow on one side, a casual sunglasses shot outdoors on the other. Make-up, angle and light differ so much that the face itself is hard to compare. It shows why the setting of a photo matters as much as the person in it.
55. The best decision
This collage combines a Halloween costume, a photo holding a baby and a later portrait. The poster's only comment was that quitting was the best decision of their life. Big life events are often what make people look hard at their drinking.
56. One year sober, on the left
She completed a muddy obstacle race with a friend and pointed out which of the two runners was her: the one on the left. The lower photo shows her smiling at home. Physical challenges like this are a popular way to mark a first sober year.
57. 234 days sober, again
This is the same pair as number 49, which the original collection included twice. Here the after shot shows her tattoos and a lower-cut top more clearly. We have kept both entries, as the original gallery did.
58. Blood pressure from 196/92 to 118/62
This is the most detailed caption in the collection. In late 2011 the poster was trying to moderate, quit completely on 19 August 2012, and took the after photo in August 2016, 45 pounds lighter and with unmedicated blood pressure down from 196/92 to 118/62. A 2017 review in The Lancet Public Health found that heavy drinkers who roughly halved their intake saw clear falls in blood pressure.
59. Four months sober
A black-and-white selfie and a colour one in glasses, four months apart. The face looks less swollen around the eyes and jaw. At four months many people are still adjusting, and every month counted is a real achievement.
60. Thirty years
Only the after photo was shared: a smiling woman in glasses, three decades without alcohol. She had no need for a before picture. If it was taken around 2016 like most of this collection, her sobriety began in the mid-1980s.
61. 15 months sober
A sad, heavy-lidded close-up becomes a confident portrait with red hair and bold make-up. The biggest change is around the eyes, which look open and bright in the second. The same pair appears again at number 76.
62. 11 years sober
A long beard and a Grand Prix T-shirt in the first photo; a life jacket and cap on a kayak in the second. Eleven years separate them. Outdoor activities often fill the time and energy that drinking used to take.
63. More than 13 years sober
This pair is credited to WhollySober.com, a site about sober living, and marks more than 13 years without a drink. The first photo shows a woman sitting with a small dog; the second, a bright, smiling portrait with blonde hair. People who share long-term sobriety publicly give newcomers a picture of what is possible.
64. Five and a quarter years
Five years and three months apart, the young man in the first photo appears again in sunglasses with his arm around a partner. He is broader through the shoulders but leaner in the face. Not every after photo is about losing weight.
65. One year sober
At a festival in a feather boa and rainbow leggings with a can in hand, then a year later in a close selfie with red hair. The swelling around her cheeks has gone. Festivals are one of the settings people in recovery often learn to enjoy in a new way.
66. Three months, left to right
The caption tells you to read left to right: a sunburnt man in a cap, mirrored sunglasses and a flower garland by a pool, then a sharp black shirt and white tie only three months later. His face is less red and less swollen. Sun and alcohol together can be hard on the skin.
Photos 67–99: from festivals to finish lines
Here the stories range from a half marathon run at 77 days to a woman who got sober at 18 and stayed that way for 27 years. A few entries are single photos with only a nickname attached.
67. 3.5 years sober
The first photo, tongue out at a party, captures the kind of night many people remember only through pictures. Three and a half years later she wears a daisy crown and a clear-eyed smile. The before shot was not chosen to flatter, which makes it more honest.
68. Four years sober
Four years separate a full red beard from a waxed handlebar moustache under a camouflage cap. The face beneath looks leaner and more alert. The ear gauges stay the same.
69. Ten years sober
The first photo is a comic close-up in glasses and a cap; the second, ten years later, shows him in a Santa hat. His build has not changed much. It is a useful reminder that sobriety is not always a weight-loss story.
70. Five years
Five years apart: a woman in a winter coat with a camera round her neck, then a tanned, smiling portrait at a restaurant table. Her face is slimmer and she looks relaxed. Restaurants and social meals are among the first places people practise ordering something different.
71. Eleven months and 19 days
Eleven days short of a year, the poster counted precisely. Between the two photos a goatee has become a curled moustache and the face has slimmed slightly. Exact counting like this is typical of the early months.
72. Ten months, and go Cubs
Ten months in, he joked about his old round face and cheered on the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs won the World Series in November 2016, their first title in 108 years, which suggests when this was posted. His face in the office photo is narrower than in the bar shot.
73. Sober Nick
A single selfie in sunglasses against a brick wall, captioned only with the poster's nickname. Without a before photo, it reads as a statement of identity. For many people, calling themselves sober out loud is part of staying that way.
74. Four months without booze
A black-and-white selfie in a Guns N' Roses T-shirt, then a colour one four months later. Her face is fuller in the first and more defined in the second. The caption borrowed the French word sans for without, a light-hearted touch.
75. Forstmann
This single photo, credited only by surname, shows an older person in a knitted hat and glasses on a wooded hillside. No timeline or story came with it. We include it, as the original collection did, as one more voice.
76. 15 months sober, again
This repeats the pair at number 61, with the same 15-month label. The change in the eyes, from heavy, dark lids to open and bright ones, is the most striking thing about it. Duplicates like this were common in crowd-sourced galleries.
77. Three years sober
In the before shot she is in a bar wearing a hat and holding an inflatable novelty bottle; in the after she is outdoors in glasses with soft light behind her. Three years later her face is slimmer and calmer. Novelty props are a reminder of how much social life can revolve around drinking.
78. 18 months
A green football shirt and a plastic cup at a party, then a black T-shirt and cap eighteen months later. The face is a little slimmer and the eyes more focused. The beard is fuller in the second photo, which can hide changes in the jaw.
79. Sober since 2005
A sobriety date of 7/11/05 means more than a decade without alcohol by the time this was shared. A red number 7 jersey in a stadium becomes a pressed dress shirt. Sports crowds and drinking are closely linked, and stepping away from that culture is hard.
80. 12 years sober
Only an after photo here: a couple sitting together among autumn leaves, twelve years into his sobriety. It looks like a professional portrait. After more than a decade, a picture like this is less about change than about a settled life.
81. Wanting it, and trying
The poster's caption is thoughtful: not everyone can want to stop, but real effort can beat a drinking problem or at least shrink it. The single selfie shows a young man in a camouflage cap. Health services such as the US National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism recognise cutting down, as well as quitting, as a valid goal for some people.
82. A half marathon at 77 days
Race photo: Peter F. Castro
Seventy-seven days after quitting she ran her first half marathon, 21.1 kilometres, and the race photo shows her mid-stride in a pink bandana. The before picture shows her at a party in a floral halter top. The race photo is credited to Peter F. Castro.
83. 986 days sober
About two years and eight months: the orange polo of the first photo becomes Bianchi cycling kit in the second. The waist and face have both narrowed. Cycling appears in several photos here, perhaps because it rewards early mornings.
84. Six months without alcohol
She wore the same Keep Calm and Kill Zombies T-shirt in both mirror selfies, six months apart. The shirt is clearly looser and her face narrower. Same clothes, same mirror: an honest comparison.
85. Nine months sober
A single selfie with a sharp blonde bob and a pink streak, taken at nine months. She chose to share only the present. The clear skin and steady gaze speak for themselves.
86. 21 months sober
A purple polo at a party, then a crisp pale-blue shirt and a broad smile 21 months later. The face is slimmer and less red. The change in expression is as big as the change in shape.
87. 3.5 years sober
Only the after photo was included: a smiling man in a suit and bow tie, perhaps at a wedding, three and a half years without alcohol. He looks healthy and at ease. Formal events are another situation where people in recovery learn to plan ahead.
88. She and him: 1,715 and 1,711 days
A couple counting their days separately: 1,715 for her and 1,711 for him, about four years and eight months each. They stopped within four days of each other. Both photos show them close together, with clear and relaxed faces.
89. Nine months sober
A car selfie with red hair, then a mirror shot with pink-orange hair, glasses and a flat stomach nine months later. Her cheeks and waist are visibly trimmer. A bold new look is a common way to mark a new chapter.
90. Me, ha ha
A man in a straw cowboy hat and mirrored sunglasses, captioned with a laugh. It is a cheerful after photo with no before attached. Good humour runs through many of the entries in this collection.
91. Sober since 1989, at 18
She stopped on 20 June 1989 at the age of 18 and had passed 27 years when she shared this. ODAT is recovery shorthand for one day at a time, a slogan long associated with Alcoholics Anonymous. Getting sober as a teenager and staying that way for decades is remarkable.
92. Ten months sober
A selfie in a car at ten months, with a sharp jaw and short dark hair. There is no old picture to compare it with. Many people find a single now photo easier to post than an old one.
93. 928 days sober
About two and a half years: the first photo shows a young woman with curly, shoulder-length hair; the second, ash-blonde hair and defined make-up. Her face is a little slimmer. 928 days works out to just over 30 months.
94. Day two
This dark, blurry photo of a couple was posted on the second day, with a winking face. Nothing in it shows a physical change yet. The first days can be the hardest, and for long-term heavy drinkers withdrawal can be dangerous, so it is wise to talk to a doctor before stopping.
95. No caption, just a shrug
A woman with a sparkly headband pouts at the camera; the caption is only a wry emoticon. With no story attached, it is one of the more mysterious entries in the gallery. Not every photo shared online arrives with an explanation.
96. David Sullivan
Named as David Sullivan, this man stands in a plaid shirt and cap in a dry, sunny landscape. The submission carried his name and nothing more. He looks fit and steady on his feet.
97. Nine months sober
A collage pairs a tired, flat-lit selfie with a bright car selfie of the same woman nine months later, smiling, with sleek blonde hair. The change in expression is the most obvious one. Mood and energy are what many people say they notice before anything else.
98. Two years, two months and 20 days
He marked 18 August 2014 as his last day as an alcoholic, and shared this at two years, two months and 20 days. The first photo shows a flushed, swollen face; the second, glasses, a neat beard and a wide smile. It is one of the most dramatic facial changes in the collection.
99. Ten months sober
Two shirtless mirror selfies: a large belly, then visible abdominal muscles ten months later. A change this big takes dedicated training and diet on top of quitting. The glasses are gone in the second photo too.
Photos 100–130: single snapshots and unfinished stories
The last part of the original gallery was made up largely of single images sent in by readers: some before photos without an after, some proud portraits, and a few jokes. Three photos in the whole collection appear twice, and we note where.
100. Yuck
He captioned his own photo with a single word of disgust. It shows him in a Michigan cap and checked shirt, looking heavy and tired. It is the before half of a story the original gallery did not finish.
101. Char
Captioned only with a first name, this portrait shows a smiling woman in a dark cardigan against a warm background. No timeline was given. It is one of several single photos readers submitted to the original collection.
102. Ми
The caption is Cyrillic and means we in Ukrainian or Serbian. The photo shows a man with grey stubble in a parka, sitting in a car. It is a reminder that these stories came in from many countries.
103. 3.38 years sober
A couple at a restaurant with the words 3 years written above them, then the same couple in sunglasses, he in an Ironman T-shirt. A full Ironman triathlon is a 3.8 km swim, a 180 km bike ride and a marathon, though the shirt alone does not prove he raced one. Both look lean and well.
104. Seven months
A puffy face above a polo shirt, then a smiling one in a Toronto Blue Jays T-shirt seven months later. The face is much narrower. Sport, as a fan or a player, comes up again and again in these photos.
105. Before, now ten months sober
Labelled as a before picture from someone now ten months sober, this shows a heavier man in sunglasses with the Golden Gate Bridge behind him. Only the before was included. Holiday photos are often where people first notice how drinking has changed them.
106. 318 days sober
A father and daughter cheek to cheek, at 318 days, a little over ten months. His face is lean and his eyes are clear. Photos with children are some of the most moving in this collection.
107. After 12 days in rehab
This is the after half of a pair taken two years before it was shared: a selfie after 12 days in a treatment programme. The before photo follows at number 108. Even after less than two weeks, her face looks calmer and less swollen.
108. Before rehab
The before half of the previous pair: flushed skin, tired eyes and hair pulled back. Taken in the same room as the after photo, it makes a fair comparison. Supervised detox is recommended for heavy drinkers because withdrawal can be risky.
109. 22.5 months sober
A slim woman in a patterned dress and glasses stands beside her earlier self in a striped top. About 22 and a half months separate them. Similar glasses in both shots make it easy to compare the face.
110. Me
A man in a dark head wrap with a groomed beard and a white shirt looks calmly into the camera. He did not say how long he had been sober. Like several entries, it is a portrait of someone simply getting on with life.
111. Hung over
A shirtless, bald man with a chest tattoo, red-faced and squinting, labelled as a hangover photo. It is an honest before. Hangovers bring headache, tiredness, nausea and poor concentration, and they cost many drinkers whole days.
112. Before
A before photo of a man in a purple shirt at a ballpark, beside a child. His face is round and flushed. The after photo was not included.
113. Now 17 months
Two photos with typed labels: one from December 2014 (written as 2104) and one from September 2015 at four months sober. By the time he shared them he had reached 17 months. He is noticeably slimmer in the later shot.
114. Me
A woman sits on a garden chair in a field, with a black dog beside her. The caption is a single word. Quiet moments with pets come up often when people describe what sobriety gave back to them.
115. After 12 days in rehab, again
This is the same photo as number 107, included twice in the original gallery. Taken after 12 days in treatment, it was shared two years later. Short programmes are usually only the first step in longer support.
116. Good-looking dude
A bald man in a grey T-shirt takes a selfie and captions it with a joke at his own expense. How long he had been sober is anyone's guess. Humour is a common way people talk about recovery.
117. A binge drinker 15 months ago
The poster labelled the two halves drinker and non drinker and added that they show the same person. Fifteen months earlier she was a heavy binge drinker; the after shot shows a pale, fresh face without make-up. The NIAAA defines binge drinking as a pattern that raises blood alcohol to 0.08%, typically four drinks for women or five for men in about two hours.
118. One year sober
A year apart: long hair and a slightly flushed face, then a softer smile and clearer skin. The difference is subtle but real. Gentle changes like these are what most people can realistically expect.
119. Sober since 9 September 2015
A side-on selfie of a man with short hair, sober since 9 September 2015. Only the after half was sent in. Many people treat their sobriety date as a second birthday.
120. 289 pounds
A mirror selfie in a cap and T-shirt, captioned with his weight, 289 pounds or about 131 kilograms. It is a before photo; no after was shared. Writing down a starting weight is a common first step for people changing several habits at once.
121. Craigy Pooh
A nickname caption, a grimacing grin, glasses and a cap. There is no date or day count. It is one of the more playful entries in the gallery.
122. Eight months, 70 pounds lighter
Two shirtless mirror selfies in the same bathroom, eight months and 70 pounds, about 32 kilograms, apart. The belly is gone and the chest is defined. Training and diet clearly played their part alongside quitting.
123. Sober for the first time in ten years
A man in a knitted beanie on a porch, sober for the first time in a decade. He posted only the present-day picture. Coming back after many years of drinking is as much an achievement as never having started.
124. Seven months, much less bloated
Seven months in, she said she felt far less bloated, and the side-by-side shows a narrower face. Bloating is one of the changes people mention most often in the early months. Her smile is the same in both, which makes the change in shape easy to see.
125. Five years sober
A teenager with a headband and glasses, then the same woman five years later in a scarf and glasses. She looks more settled and grown-up. Five years is a long stretch of life to spend sober, especially in early adulthood.
126. If I stopped wine
A blonde woman looks straight into the camera; the caption reads like someone imagining a change rather than reporting one. It is a before photo. Wine is often the drink people find hardest to see as a problem.
127. Woodstock 1999
A shirtless young man in a tent at Woodstock '99, the festival held in Rome, New York, in July 1999. It is a before photo from a very different time. That festival became infamous for heat, high prices and chaos on its final night.
128. I just wanted to read an article
A man in a red-lit room with a sports headband, captioned with mock exasperation at being asked for a photo. It ended up in the gallery anyway. Not every submission was meant to be serious.
129. Before
A smiling man in glasses and a seatbelt; the caption says before, but no after was shared. He looks cheerful. Before photos without an after leave the ending open.
130. I look the same because I don't drink
The last photo is a woman with long curly hair in a car, joking that she looks the same because she does not drink. It is a neat reminder that the goal is health, not a dramatic transformation photo. It closes the original gallery on a light note.
What these photos can and cannot tell you
Before-and-after pictures are persuasive, but they are not evidence in a scientific sense. Lighting, camera angle, make-up, beards, hats and filters all change how a face looks. Many of the people here mention diet and exercise alongside quitting, and a few gave up other substances or sugary drinks at the same time. A handful of photos show no visible change at all, and that is fine too.
What the collection does show well is variety. Some people looked different within weeks; others took years. Some lost large amounts of weight, while others mainly looked calmer and more awake. Research backs up the general direction: heavy drinking is linked to high blood pressure, liver disease and several cancers, and a 2019 study of more than 3,200 women led by Monash University linked heavy drinking with more visible signs of facial ageing.
If you are thinking about cutting down or quitting
You do not need to hit rock bottom to change your drinking, and earlier tends to be easier. The US National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism advises that people who have been drinking heavily for a long time should not stop suddenly on their own, because withdrawal can be painful and, in some cases, life-threatening. If that sounds like you, talk to a doctor first; they can help you plan a safe way to stop.
For many people, support makes the difference. Online communities like the ones these photos came from, local mutual-help groups and professional treatment all help. And if you decide to take your own before picture, take it in plain light, in clothes you will still own in a year.
Sources: original collection: Bored Panda, with individual photo credits shown under each image; NHS: Calories in alcohol; Roerecke et al. (2017), The Lancet Public Health; NIAAA: Alcohol's effects on the body; NIAAA Rethinking Drinking: Cut down or quit?; NIAAA: Moderate and binge drinking; AusDoc on the 2019 facial ageing study.
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