A woman who previously spent £900 a year on Botox has revealed how ditching booze was the one thing that made her ‘look more youthful’.
Sarah Mills, an NHS business administrator from Devon, used to put away at least three bottles of Prosecco a week before a ‘wakeup call’ on her 40th birthday helped her ditch her binge drinking habit.
The self-confessed ‘boozy’ mother-of-two would scarcely go a few days without indulging her boozy cravings, often chugging an entire bottle of Prosecco on a Sunday while making the family dinner.
While her drinking wasn’t a daily occurrence, Sarah delighted in weekly ‘wobbly Wednesday’ and would nearly always celebrate that ‘Friday feeling’ by putting away mountains of wine, fizz, and spirits such as vodka and gin.
Once known for ‘always having a drink in hand’, Sarah’s entire perspective changed after a particularly ‘heavy’ 40th birthday left her unable to function and with ‘crippling anxiety’.
Her binge drinking led to many ’embarrassing’ incidents such as walking into walls, flashing her underwear and even one harrowing incident where she split her nose open after smashing it into a toilet bowl.
Deciding enough was enough, Sarah quit drinking in June and hasn’t touched a drop since.
The mother-of-two has always taken pride in her looks, spending £300 every four months on Botox injections and lip fillers.
Sarah Mills, an NHS business administrator from Devon, used to put away at least three bottles of Prosecco a week before a ‘wakeup call’ on her 40th birthday helped her ditch her binge drinking habit (pictured after going sober)
A woman who previously spent £900 a year on Botox has revealed how ditching booze was the one thing that made her ‘look more youthful’ (pictured before going sober)
But having now been sober for more than two months, she can confidently say that nothing has improved her appearance more than ditching her 28-year drinking habit.
‘I used Botox to look after my looks, but alcohol was destroying them,’ she explained.
‘I could go the whole week not giving alcohol a thought, but as soon as the weekend hit, I wanted a drink.
‘I used drink to be seen as a loud, fun-time girl. Prosecco was always my go-to – I could drink two bottles a night.
‘I would do silly things when drunk, like flashing my knickers and walking into walls. I even split open my nose on the toilet when I was throwing up.
‘It took a toll on my marriage because hangovers would leave me feeling anxious and lazy.
‘But after my 40th birthday, I had the worst anxiety and depression. I didn’t want to live my life like that.
‘Ditching the booze made me realise it was ageing me – despite my efforts to look youthful through aesthetics. I never want to be that chaotic person again.’
The self-confessed ‘boozy’ mother-of-two would scarcely go a few days without indulging her boozy cravings, often chugging an entire bottle of Prosecco on a Sunday while making the family dinner (pictured before going sober)
While her drinking wasn’t a daily occurrence, Sarah delighted in weekly ‘wobbly Wednesday’ and would nearly always celebrate that ‘Friday feeling’ by putting away mountains of wine, fizz, and spirits such as vodka and gin
Once known for ‘always having a drink in hand’, Sarah’s entire perspective changed after a particularly ‘heavy’ 40th birthday left her unable to function and with ‘crippling anxiety’ (pictured before going sober)
But having now been sober for more than two months, she can confidently say that nothing has improved her appearance more than ditching her 28-year drinking habit
Describing herself as a ‘difficult child’, Sarah discovered alcohol aged 12, and started drinking MD 20/20- a whisky-based fruit drink- before moving onto rose wine and spirits, and then prosecco.
Sarah continued to ‘binge drink’ throughout her 20s – which didn’t stop when she met her husband Martyn, 45, who works in administration, in 2013.
Even welcoming heir daughter, seven, and son, six, didn’t stop her from drinking. ‘I didn’t let motherhood stop me from having a good time,’ she said.
Despite trying 90 days of sobriety in 2023, she slipped back into old ways. ‘I’d celebrate getting midway through the week with a bottle of prosecco on Wednesday and then the same again on Friday.
‘If I kids had nowhere to go on a Sunday afternoon, I would down a bottle of prosecco whilst cooking a roast.
‘But I would feel awful on the Monday school run, my kids would look put together but I’d look like a mess.
‘Martyn and my sister sat me down many times to tell me to stop drinking because they saw me at my absolute lowest. I’d tell them “I don’t have a problem- I just like to have a good time'”.’
Sarah started getting Botox and lip filler in 2021 to ‘look [her] best’ – costing £300 every four months.
Her binge drinking led to many ’embarrassing’ incidents such as walking into walls, flashing her underwear and even one harrowing incident where she split her nose open after smashing it into a toilet bowl
Sarah documents her sobriety journey on Instagram and has amassed over 38K followers
The mother-of-two has always taken pride in her looks, spending £300 every four months on Botox injections and lip fillers
‘Looking at me, you’d think I was quite vain – I have Botox and filler. I was concerned with my appearance, but not realising that I was ruining my insides with alcohol.’
Celebrating her 40th birthday on 6 June 2025 with a six-hour-long bar crawl left her with a hangover that sent her into ‘the darkest spiral’.
‘I couldn’t shower, walk the dog, or even eat. I just sat on the sofa all day and cried,’ she said.
‘Something within me changed, and through willpower alone, I’ve been 67 days sober. I don’t ever want to go back.
‘I used to mope about the house, but now I’m up at 6 am and full of life. My husband is so proud of me, and I’m a better mum too.
‘I actually sit down with them to play, and we go on bike rides as a family.
‘I’ve replaced my booze time with doing up the house and growing my own veg. I look and feel more youthful.
‘I’ll keep getting Botox and filler top-ups but every six months instead of four.’
Sarah documents her sobriety journey on Instagram and has since gained over 38,000 followers.
She said: ‘Having a following helps keep me going, and people are even going sober with me.
‘I used to be too embarrassed to talk about the things I did when drunk, but now I do, and it helps others because they can relate.
‘I’d like to think I’m helping people, just as much as they help me.’ Sarah’s journey can be found @sarahstayssober.
