Cass, once a party animal, has now reinvented herself as a fitness fanatic.
A former self-proclaimed party animal has reinvented herself as a fitness fanatic after discovering that booze can trigger an allergic reaction which sees her coated in a burning red rash.
As an estimated 4.2 million Brits are set to attempt Dry January, according to a poll by YouGov, one person who knows the benefits of cutting back on alcohol all too well is 42-year-old Cass Bowman.
In her younger years, she loved nothing more than hitting the town for a few drinks with her friends.
But all that changed around eight years ago, when she suddenly began to suffer a mysterious reaction to alcohol that would see her skin become red and blotchy.
Over time, it worsened to the point where her flesh felt as if it had been “scalded,” and her breathing became affected too.
Cass, of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, who works with children, said: “It can spring up anywhere on my body, and my skin gets so hot I can’t even touch it. Before all this, I was quite a party animal. I’d go out weekdays and weekends, downing pints and all sorts.”
On an average night, Cass would have around 10 drinks, a mix of spirits, cider and lager. And, for a big celebration, it would be even more.
She said: “Now, I’ve cut right back to only having a few vodkas or gins every so often. That seems to have done the trick for now, but if this comes back and makes my breathing worse, I’ll have no choice but to quit drinking altogether.
“As big a part of socialising as it is, I couldn’t live with knowing I was putting myself in danger.”
In her twenties and early thirties, Cass, who has three children, Alex, 18, Oliver, 17 and Ellisia, 13, enjoyed many a night out with friends, and never found alcohol to cause an adverse reaction.
Then, in around 2011, she noticed that she’d start to feel warm on the top half of her body and legs when she’d had a drink.
Still, she wasn’t especially worried, until odd marks soon began to spring up on her skin all over her body, including her face.
She said: “It was almost like a burn. My skin wouldn’t be raised, like it would with a rash, but it’d be hot to touch and feel sensitive for days afterwards.
“Putting cold water on it wouldn’t help, as it just heated up.
“When it would happen, people would really stare, which would make me feel embarrassed and put a dampener on the night.”
At first, Cass, who is married to Stuart, 45, admitted that she didn’t put two and two together, assuming the reaction was down to skin products or washing powder she was using.
But, when it didn’t stop even after she changed products, she started keeping a closer eye on what exactly set her off – and after a few months, realised it only ever happened when she had been drinking.
“I went to the doctor in around 2012, and he agreed that it was something in alcohol causing an allergic reaction,” she said. “He then said to me to stop drinking.”
Cass continued: “I know it might sound silly, but it was such a big part of my life then – it was how I socialised with my friends. I worried I would lose all of that, so I tried to just press on and put up with it.
“I could never figure out a set trigger. If it was one particular type of alcohol, I’d have avoided that, but there was no pattern to it.”
But then, around two years later, Cass began to also experience shortness of breath, which would come on immediately after the rash and affect her for a few hours afterwards.
At her worst, she said she even struggled to speak properly.
Again, she sought medical help and a different doctor prescribed antihistamines to help calm the reaction whenever she suffers a flare-up.
Though the NHS recommends avoiding alcohol whilst taking antihistamines as it can make you feel sleepy, Cass takes non-drowsy tablets, and so said she has not had any adverse effects.
She has also cut down on drinking hugely, now only enjoying around five vodkas or gins on the odd weekend.
For the past year, Cass has not had an allergic reaction – which she believes is down to both drinking less and exercising much more.
She began running almost by accident after she suffered an unrelated hip injury during a Zumba class in 2012, and the physiotherapist who treated her suggested running would help keep her strength up once she had recovered.
Now Cass runs 10km at least three times a week, getting up at 5:30am to pound the streets, and has completed two half-marathons – with three more planned for 2019 – as well as a 10km and several 5km races.
The picture of health, she is sharing her story to encourage others struggling with painful reactions to seek medical help, and said: “My reactions were so unpredictable. I wouldn’t get them every time I drank, but they could come on out of nowhere – especially if I’d drank a couple of nights in a row.
“Now, though, I’m feeling much healthier and really hope that’s the end of it. Of course, if I have another, and my breathing is still affected, I will have no choice but to give up alcohol completely. For now, though, I’m enjoying running, cutting back on drinking and feeling great.”
Abbas Kanani, pharmacist at Chemist Click, said: “If you are experiencing symptoms such as wheezing, sneezing, coughing, itchy skin or feeling sick when you drink small amounts of alcohol, my advice would be to get an allergy test.
“Explain your symptoms to your GP who can organise this for you. In the meantime, it’s best to avoid alcoholic beverages altogether, as there is a possibility that they could cause a severe reaction which can be quite serious.
“If you do have a confirmed allergy to alcohol, it’s best to give up altogether. It seems quite tough, but I see an increased number of people wishing to give up alcohol for good these days, in search of a healthier lifestyle.”
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar began a second round of voting Sunday in its first general election since the military takeover five years ago.
Voting expanded to additional townships including some areas affected by the civil war between the military government and its armed opponents.
Critics say the polls organized by the military government are neither free nor fair and are an effort by the military to legitimize its rule after seizing power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.
Tom Andrews, a special rapporteur working with the U.N. human rights office, urged the international community Thursday to reject what he called a “sham election,” saying the first round exposed coercion, violence and political exclusion.
“You cannot have a free, fair or credible election when thousands of political prisoners are behind bars, credible opposition parties have been dissolved, journalists are muzzled, and fundamental freedoms are crushed,” Andrews said.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which keeps detailed tallies of arrests and casualties linked to the conflict, more than 22,000 people are detained for political offenses, and more than 7,600 civilians have been killed by security forces since 2021.
The army’s takeover triggered widespread peaceful protests that soon erupted into armed resistance, and the country slipped into a civil war.
A new Election Protection Law imposes harsh penalties and restrictions for virtually all public criticism of the polls. The authorities have charged more than 330 people under new electoral law for leafleting or online activity over the past few months.
Opposition organizations and ethnic armed groups had previously vowed to disrupt the electoral process.
On Sunday, attacks targeting polling stations and government buildings were reported in at least four of the 100 townships holding polls, with two administrative officials killed, independent online media, including Myanmar Now, reported.
Polling stations opened at 6 a.m. in 100 townships across the country, including parts of Sagaing, Magway, Mandalay, Bago and Tanintharyi regions, as well as Mon, Shan, Kachin, Kayah and Kayin states. Many of those areas have recently seen clashes or remain under heightened security, underscoring the risks surrounding the vote.
The election is being held in three phases due to armed conflicts. The first round took place Dec. 28 in 102 of the country’s total 330 townships. A final round is scheduled for Jan. 25, though 65 townships will not take part because of fighting.
Myanmar has a two-house national legislature, totaling 664 seats. The party with a combined parliamentary majority can select the new president, who can name a Cabinet and form a new government. The military automatically receives 25% of seats in each house under the constitution.
Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, the military government's spokesperson, told journalists on Sunday that the two houses of parliament will be convened in March, and the new government will take up its duties in April.
On Sunday, people in Yangon and Mandalay, the two largest cities, cast their ballots in high schools, government buildings and religious buildings.
At more than 10 polling stations visited by Associated Press journalists, voter numbers ranged from about 150 at the busiest site to just a few at others, appearing lower than during the 2020 election when long lines were common.
The military government said there were more than 24 million eligible voters, about 35% fewer than in 2020. The government called the turnout a success, claiming ballots were cast by more than 6 million people, about 52% of the more than 11 million eligible voters in the election's first phase.
Myo Aung, a chief minister of the Mandalay region, said more people turned out Sunday than in the first phase.
Maung Maung Naing, who voted in Mandalay’s Mahar Aung Myay township, said he wanted a government that will benefit the people.
“I only like a government that can make everything better for livelihoods and social welfare,” he said.
Sandar Min, an independent candidate from Yangon’s Latha township, said she decided to contest the election despite criticism because she wants to work with the government for the good of the country. She hopes the vote will bring change that reduces suffering.
“We want the country to be nonviolent. We do not accept violence as part of the change of the country,” Sandar Min said after casting a vote. “We care deeply about the people of this country.”
While more than 4,800 candidates from 57 parties are competing for seats in national and regional legislatures, only six parties are competing nationwide.
The first phase left the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party, or USDP, in a dominant position, winning nearly 90% of the contested seats in the first phase in the lower house. It also won a majority of seats in regional legislatures.
Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s 80-year-old former leader, and her party aren’t participating in the polls. She is serving a 27-year prison term on charges widely viewed as spurious and politically motivated. Her party, the National League for Democracy, was dissolved in 2023, after refusing to register under new military rules.
Other parties also refused to register or declined to run under conditions they deem unfair, while opposition groups have called for a voter boycott.
An official of the Union Election Commission counts ballots at a polling station during the second phase of general election in Mandalay, central Myanmar, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)
An official of the Union Election Commission shows a slip as they count ballots at a polling station during the second phase of general election in Yangon, Myanmar, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw)
A voter casts ballot at a polling station during the second phase of general election Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Yangon, Myanmar. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw)
A voter casts ballot at a polling station during the second phase of general election in Mandalay, central Myanmar, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)
A voter shows his finger, marked with ink to indicate he voted, at a polling station during the second phase of general election in Mandalay, central Myanmar, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)
Sandar Min, an individual candidate for an election and former parliament member from ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party, shows off her finger marked with ink indicating she voted at a polling station during the second phase of general election Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Yangon, Myanmar. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw)
Voters wait for a polling station to open during the second phase of general election in Mandalay, central Myanmar, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)
Buddhist monks walk past a polling station opened at a monastery one day before the second phase of the general election in Yangon, Myanmar, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw)
An official of the Union Election Commission checks a sample slip from an electronic voting machine as they prepare to set up a polling station opened at a monastery one day before the second phase of the general election in Yangon, Myanmar, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw)
