The liver is responsible for metabolizing or processing ethanol, the main component of alcohol. Over time, the liver of a person who drinks heavily can become damaged and cause Drug rehabilitation alcoholic liver disease. You can improve the health of your liver by abstaining from alcohol or only drinking in moderation, eating a healthy diet, and managing your weight. If you notice early signs of alcohol-related liver disease, be sure to follow up with your doctor.

Diagnosis for Alcoholic Liver Disease

Sign up for free, and receive liver transplant and decompensated cirrhosis content, plus expertise on liver health. All liver transplant units require people with ARLD to not drink symptoms of alcoholic liver disease alcohol while awaiting the transplant, and for the rest of their life. You’ll only be considered for a liver transplant if you have developed complications of cirrhosis despite having stopped drinking. It’s generally not reversible, but stopping drinking alcohol immediately can prevent further damage and significantly increase your life expectancy. If you stop drinking alcohol for some time (months or years), your liver should return to normal. The liver can develop new cells, but prolonged alcohol misuse (drinking too much) over many years can reduce its ability to regenerate.

Where to find support if you need help to stop drinking alcohol

• Drinking a large amount of alcohol, even for just a few days, can lead to a build-up of fats in the liver.
• These include vitamin E in people without diabetes or heart disease.
• The alcohol by volume (ABV) tells you the alcoholic strength of a drink.

If alcohol is affecting you differently—causing faster intoxication or more intense hangovers—it may be because your liver isn’t processing the same amount of alcohol efficiently. A struggling liver can’t filter toxins properly, leading to confusion, poor concentration, or mood swings (known as hepatic encephalopathy). Liver damage affects blood clotting, making you bruise easily or bleed more than usual from minor cuts. As the liver can regenerate itself, both the transplanted section and the remaining section of the donor’s liver are able to regrow to a normal size. Or it may be possible to have a transplant using a section of liver removed from a living donor.

Diet and lifestyle

Many people struggle to stop drinking alcohol safely and in the long term. Help is available, from medical detox to therapy to support groups. To find rehabs and treatment centers near you and begin your recovery, visit our rehab directory. Unique among the body’s organs, the liver has a remarkable ability to regenerate, often quickly, when it’s no longer under assault. With abstinence, fatty liver deposits can disappear and the damage from inflammation and even fibrosis can be reversed.

The outlook depends on the amount of inflammation and scarring of the liver and other factors. About half of people with complications of cirrhosis survive at least 5 years after diagnosis. This first stage of ALD is also known as hepatic steatosis, or “fatty liver.” Alcohol metabolism produces fatty deposits that accumulate in liver cells. As your liver filters alcohol from the blood, liver cells die. The liver has some ability to regenerate but chronic alcohol use reduces this function.

Contents

That is, drinking more than 2/3 to 1 ounce of alcohol a day puts women at risk. Risk may be increased in women because their digestive system may be less able to process alcohol, thus increasing the amount of alcohol reaching the liver. The first step in treating ALD is to discontinue alcohol consumption. It also prevents further injury and helps heal the liver. On average, 1 in 3 people with the most advanced stage of liver disease and cirrhosis are still alive after 2 years.

ARLD does not usually cause any symptoms until the liver has been severely damaged. A CT scan of the upper abdomen showing a fatty liver (steatosis of the liver). Note the liver enlargement and dark color compared with the spleen (gray body in lower right). Certain biopsy and blood test results can help doctors predict a person’s prognosis better.

Acute Alcohol Hepatitis Patient Advocate – Sheila

This deficiency can also cause dementia if not treated immediately. Research has shown that long-term alcohol misuse can have a lasting impact on the brain, although some areas may recover with abstinence. The most serious effect is Korsakoff’s syndrome, characterized in part by an inability to remember recent events or to learn new information. Chronic, long-term drinking can contribute to malnutrition by replacing foods needed for essential nutrients and by interfering with absorption, storage, or metabolism of the essential nutrients.

What are the first signs of liver damage from alcohol?

• When Alcohol Liver Disease (ALD) is in its early stages, it is possible to heal the liver and restore its functioning completely.
• Contact your GP for advice if you have a history of regular alcohol misuse.
• Hepatic fat accumulation may predispose to subsequent oxidative damage.
• Alcoholic liver disease does not occur in all heavy drinkers.
• If you have cirrhosis, you’ll need monitoring every six months for the rest of your life, which will include checking (surveillance) for a type of liver cancer called hepatocellular carcinoma.
• But for 7% to 30% of the people with fatty liver disease, it will get worse if it is not treated.

Antirejection medications after transplant can increase the risk of serious infections and certain cancers. Fibrosis is a buildup of certain types of protein in the liver, including collagen. Once damage begins, it can take a long time to become noticeable, as the liver is generally highly effective at regenerating and repairing itself. Often, by the time doctors detect the damage, it is irreversible. Eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, and avoiding liver-damaging foods such as fried foods, can also help the liver heal during treatment.

Reversing Alcoholic Hepatitis

Years of alcohol abuse can cause the liver to become inflamed and swollen. Learn how you can prevent and treat this serious condition. If people stop drinking and no fibrosis is present, fatty liver and inflammation can be reversed. Liver biopsy is sometimes done when the diagnosis is uncertain or when liver disease appears to have more than one cause. Liver biopsy can confirm liver disease, provide evidence that alcohol is the likely cause, and determine the type of liver damage present. It can also identity whether iron has accumulated in the liver.