Drinking ‘mirror mirror’ on my phone

WOMEN are being offered a glimpse of how they could look in the future if they keep on drinking too much as part of a campaign to cut down drinking in Scotland. The Scottish Government has unveiled the "drinking mirror” smartphone app, which claims to show the visible effects of regularly drinking too much, such as deeper wrinkles, red cheeks and weight gain.

By taking a picture of the user, the app aims to show how "dropping a glass size” could "improve your looks over 10 years”, with a so-called magic mirror showing you "how much better you will look if you drink a little less”.

In the same way that slimmers sometimes switch to a smaller plate to eat less, the Scottish government is calling on women to drop a glass size.

The number of alcohol-related deaths among women aged 30-44 has doubled in the last 20 years, and the chronic liver disease and cirrhosis death rate among women in that age group in Scotland has trebled since the mid to late 1980s.

Dr Samantha Robson, a GP, said: "By cutting down a glass size, or having a break some nights, the result could make a huge difference to how they look and feel”.