The damaging effect alcohol can have on health is widely publicised - with experts warning of depression, liver disease and even an early grave.

But a new tool created by website Rehabs also shows the negative effect excessive drinking can have on your appearance.

By uploading a picture you can chart the change in your features over five-year intervals to see how alcohol can alter your face.

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Try out the tool directly below

California-based company Rehabs has released an 'alcoholic' tool (pictured). It shows you what your face will look like if you keep drinking for years. The tool shows your changing appearance over the next 20 years

To the use the tool you need to click the ‘Start’ button above.

You will then be asked to either upload a photo or use your webcam to take one of yourself.

Then the tool asks you to position eyes, nose and lip icons over your own facial features.

The result is a series of pictures that shows how your appearance will change from two to 20 years into the future.

‘Our team over at rehabs.com is well aware of the many different causes of alcoholism, and in an attempt to combat them, created this interactive web tool that shows users what they would look like after two, five, 10 and 20 years of heavy drinking,’ a spokesperson told MailOnline.

The programme initially morphs the user's face to bring about changes to the face's shape.

It then applies a transparent mask to add skin defects characteristic of long term alcoholism such as broken capillaries, a bloated face, reddened complexion and so on.

The spokesperson added: 'The purpose of the program is to create a shock factor for users, preying on the vanity, in hopes that the very ugly future of their actions will incite behavioural change.'

HOW ALCOHOL AFFECTS OUR APPEARANCE Alcohol is a diuretic, so it causes us - and in turn our skin - to become dehydrated far more easily. This has both an instant and long-term effect on our skin and hair. Dehydration causes skin to become dry and hair to become brittle. Excessive alcohol consumption also depletes iron levels which can exacerbate a pale, lifeless complexion and hair loss. Facial puffiness can also be caused by lymph fluid leaking from enlarged blood vessels into tissue. Because alcohol can sap the body of Vitamin C and A, the skin also becomes less resilient to environmental causes of ageing such as the sun and pollution. This is because lowered levels of these vitamins lead to the reduced production of collagen, the substance responsible for making our skin look plump and youthful. Heavy drinking also affects the skin because alcohol robs us of B Vitamins. Alcoholics often develop skin rashes that could resemble eczema from such deficiencies. Skin is also much more prone to becoming red and blotchy. This is because alcohol dilates the blood vessels. Many people who suffer from the flushing condition rosacea find that they become red-cheeked if they drink. However, if you drink large amount regularly, eventually the blood vessels can burst leaving people with permanently red cheeks or the notorious 'drinker's nose'. Chronic alcohol abuse often shows itself in dark circles under the eyes. This is because in the long-term, alcoholism thins the skin, making blood vessels beneath the surface more visible. It is worth adding that those who abuse alcohol tend to neglect their health in general, so the damage that drink does often goes hand-in-hand with the incredibly ageing and health-damaging habit of smoking. Advertisement

Terrifying: The program initially morphs the user's face to bring about changes to the face's shape. It then applies a transparent mask to add skin defects characteristic of long term alcoholism such as broken capillaries, bloated face, reddened complexion and so on. Shown is a young male using the program

Earlier this month researchers from the University of Missouri School of Medicine warned that binge drinking can also alter your genes.

They say that excessive alcohol use can cause changes in the liver.

However, they also say the discovery could lead to new treatments for alcohol related kidney disease.

IS MODERATE DRINKING BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH? Drinking just two glasses of wine a day can damage your health, according to a study. The research challenged previous claims that moderate amounts of alcohol could have a protective effect on the heart. Even if you drink as little as 12 units a week - less than a pint of beer or two small glasses of wine a day - this will still have a negative effect on health said scientists from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Earlier this month, the Government warned people to have a 'one day on, one day off' policy when drinking, to avoid damaging their health. Advertisement

'We know that chronic alcohol use is damaging to the liver, but binge drinking amplifies that damage,' said Shivendra Shukla, who led the research.

Excessive alcohol use is one of the most common causes of chronic liver failure.

Long-term liver damage from alcohol use is irreversible.

Excessive alcohol use is also associated with high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, cancer and digestive problems.

'Every response in the body is due to alterations in proteins,' Shukla said.

'Binge drinking is an environmental trigger that negatively affects histones by altering the correct binding of DNA.

'The result is unnecessary replication in the copied structure.

'This initially causes inflammation and damage to the cells as they form, but it is also eventually the cause of more serious diseases such as cirrhosis and cancer.'

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines binge drinking as a pattern of drinking that brings a person's blood alcohol concentration to 0.08 grams percent or above.

To use the tool you need to upload a picture or take one with a webcam. Aligning facial features will then add alcoholism effects to a person's appearance (shown)