Alcohol & sobriety

Does drinking affect your dating life?

Evidence splits by dose and timeframe. A controlled experiment (Van Den Abbeele et al. 2015, Alcohol and Alcoholism, "Increased Facial Attractiveness Following Moderate, but not High, Alcohol Consumption") found a single low dose of alcohol (0.4 g/kg) made faces rated slightly more attractive (mean 54 percent preference, 95% CI 50-59), but this small advantage reversed at a higher dose (0.8 g/kg; 47 percent preferred the intoxicated face, 95% CI 43-51); note the confidence intervals straddle 50 percent, so the effect is weak. Chronically, a 3,267-woman multinational dermatology survey (Goodman et al. 2019) found heavy use (8 or more drinks per week) significantly worsened under-eye puffiness, midface volume loss, visible facial blood vessels, oral commissures, and upper-face lines in a dose-dependent way (p<=0.042; visible vessels p=0.007 heavy vs moderate), while moderate use (1 to 7 per week) showed only minor effects. The dermatology mechanism is consistent: alcohol acts as a diuretic and vasodilator that drives facial dehydration, flushing, broken capillaries and puffiness, so habitual drinking degrades skin and facial appearance over time (collagen suppression and ADH effects are commonly cited mechanisms but were not explicitly stated by the Westlake source).

How it factors into your fit: Score sobriety and light use highest; light-to-moderate use (1 to 7 drinks per week) near-neutral; penalize heavy use (8 or more drinks per week) for puffiness, redness and accelerated facial aging, with the penalty growing as intake rises and dropping more steeply above 8 per week.

Evidence & sources

Van Den Abbeele et al. 2015, Alcohol and Alcoholism
Title: 'Increased Facial Attractiveness Following Moderate, but not High, Alcohol Consumption.' Low dose (0.4 g/kg) yielded mean 54 percent preference for intoxicated faces (95% CI 50-59); high dose (0.8 g/kg) reversed to 47 percent (95% CI 43-51). Effect is small and CIs cross 50 percent.
Goodman et al. 2019, Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology
3,267 women (US, Australia, Canada, UK). Heavy alcohol use (>=8 drinks/week) associated with increased upper facial lines, under-eye puffiness, oral commissures, midface volume loss, and blood vessels (p<=0.042); blood vessels significantly worse in heavy vs moderate drinkers (p=0.007).
Westlake Dermatology clinical review
Confirms alcohol causes dehydration (skin less plump/luminous), facial redness/flushing via vasodilation, broken capillaries with repeated exposure, and facial puffiness around eyes and cheeks. Does NOT explicitly state ADH suppression or collagen synthesis reduction.

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