TEENAGERS have witnessed the toll heavy drinking would take on their own face through an innovative computer programme
Girls at All Saints Academy in Cheltenham saw how 10 years of sustained boozing would change their appearance using Cheltenham based company Change My Face's Drinking Time Machine software.
Using a current photo, the programme and iTunes app modifies the image to demonstrate the effects of three different levels of daily alcohol intake – from a few glasses of wine to more than a bottle.
These effects include wrinkled skin, bloodshot eyes, broken veins and bloated red cheeks.
Shock tactics were used to show pupils the devastating effects of too much alcohol on their own faces.
14-year-old Briony Mansell said: "It's really scary. I look terrible. I never thought drinking so much could make you look so bad."
All Saints health and social care team leader Nikki Ball said the software had changed the pupils attitude to alcohol.
She said: "The programme has definitely made an impact on the students.
"They were very shocked to see how they would look if they drink too much.
"They have said that they are only going to drink on special occasions when they are older."
Change My Face chief Auriole Prince, who designed the Drinking Time Machine, was invited to All Saints as part of national Alcohol Awareness Week.
The forensic artist, who is from Charlton Kings and trained with the FBI, said: "We find that in today's image conscious society having a visual image of the effects of alcohol is very effective."
Auriole, 41, has worked for the Missing People Charity to create images for appeals, as well as TV shows including Embarrassing Bodies and 10 Years Younger.
She created the Drinking Time Machine, which can be leased by local authorities for educational use, to teach young people about the dangers of alcohol.
It was launched around a year ago and has topped the iTunes food and drink app download chart in 14 countries across Europe.
