February 17, 2022
It’s common knowledge that drinking too much alcohol is bad for your liver, but many people don’t take steps to address the problem until it’s too late. While ridding your body of toxins is one of the liver’s many purposes, excessive alcohol use can damage this important organ and increase your risk of developing serious, long-term health conditions.
Alcohol-related liver disease is the catch-all name for a damaged, swollen, and inflamed liver. The severity of the condition is defined by three stages, beginning with alcoholic fatty liver disease, progressing to acute alcoholic hepatitis, and finally reaching the final phase, called alcoholic cirrhosis.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers moderate drinking two drinks or less for men and one drink or less for women. If you drink more than this, it’s important to start looking out for early signs of liver damage now — especially if you’re 20 to 40 years old. Common symptoms of alcohol-related liver disease include:
• Nausea and loss of appetite
• Jaundice
• Fatigue
• Small, reddish spider-like blood vessels
• Abdominal discomfort or swelling
• Increased thirst
• Weight loss
• Agitation or mood swings
Identifying alcohol-related liver disease during the early stages and abstaining from alcohol can help prevent further liver damage. It may even be possible to reverse existing damage by losing weight and making changes to your diet. Once liver damage progresses too far, the only option for survival is a liver transplant.
If you’re a heavy drinker and begin noticing any changes related to your appetite, weight, pain in your abdomen, or anything else out of the ordinary, it’s important to see your doctor to discuss treatment options. Be honest about your alcohol consumption so they can proactively help you.
To diagnose fatty liver disease, your doctor will ask you questions about your family medical history and your habits related to alcohol consumption. If your liver is inflamed, the doctor may be able to feel it by pressing on your abdomen, but blood tests will be required to see if you have elevated liver enzymes or other definitive signs of liver damage. If your health care provider finds anything after reviewing the initial test results, you will likely undergo additional testing, such as an ultrasound, CT scan, or a liver biopsy.
While liver damage is a serious consequence of drinking too alcohol, it’s important to remember that it’s not the only one. Excessive drinking can cause a wide array of health problems, such as heart disease, sexual dysfunction, diabetes, and digestive problems. And that’s to say nothing of its potential impacts on relationships, work, and your ability to operate a vehicle.
So even if you feel young and healthy today, it’s important to moderate your drinking. Making some relatively minor lifestyle changes now is much easier than trying to undo serious damage to your health later.
