Alcoholic Liver Disease
The liver is responsible for processing blood passing through the stomach and the intestines, resulting in the breakdown and balancing of nutrients and the metabolism of drugs into more usable or nontoxic forms. Alcoholic liver disease occurs when the liver becomes inflamed and scarred by the consumption of alcohol, resulting in reduced functioning and a buildup of scar tissue. Although the common assumption is that alcoholic liver disease is caused by chronic, heavy drinking, studies have shown that moderate and binge drinking can also cause considerable damage to the liver. For women who drink more than one drink per day and men who drink over two, the likelihood of alcohol negatively affecting the liver increases. The liver is resilient, but the toxins associated with alcohol can damage the liver over time.
It is not just chronic, daily drinking that can result in alcoholic liver disease. Individuals who binge drink for short periods can experience liver malfunction symptoms like lethargy or pain in the upper abdomen. A common misconception is that people are safe from liver damage when they do not drink every day or only binge drink on the weekends; however, individuals who binge drink also risk developing alcoholic liver damage.
The good news associated with early-stage alcoholic liver disease is that damage can be reversible if someone stops drinking. It is essential to learn more about the stages of liver disease to identify the early symptoms.
It is possible to have no or very minimal symptoms in the preliminary stages of alcoholic and non-alcoholic liver disease; however, you may experience:
- Digestive issues like acid reflux or heartburn
- Skin conditions like psoriasis, eczema, or skin itchiness
- Adverse medication reactions as the liver will struggle to metabolize toxins
Early Symptoms
Learning to recognize early symptoms of liver disease is important. Early diagnosis is of paramount importance for a positive prognosis and reversing damage already done.
Given the limited symptoms many experience in the preliminary stages of liver disease, it may not be until the second or third stage that a diagnosis is made. Blood tests can flag when liver enzymes are off, resulting in earlier detection. This is one reason having annual bloodwork is an important part of early detection.
Early Symptoms Include:
- Jaundice – the yellowing of the eyes and skin
- Inflammation in abdomen, legs, ankles
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Urine is dark in color
- The stool is bloody, pale, or dark
- Little appetite
- Feeling overly tired
- Itchy skin
- Easily bruising
How to Reverse Alcoholic Liver Disease?
Once diagnosed with liver disease, consulting a liver specialist, seeking professional help from a nutritionist, and engaging in regular exercise are important steps. Weight management is an essential component of the treatment of liver disease. Alcohol intake should be stopped or minimized. Diabetes or high cholesterol should be strictly controlled. Discussing all medications with your liver specialist is important as many prescribed and over-the-counter medications can impact liver functioning. Treatment of liver disease following its diagnosis requires multiple interventions to ensure the best possible prognosis. Many individuals struggling with liver disease see improvement in their disease progress and symptom experience when maintaining abstinence from alcohol and following their providers’ nutritional and weight loss recommendations.
Getting Treatment
Of course, these recommendations for reducing alcoholic liver disease are far more difficult when a person is suffering from a substance use disorder. Alcohol dependence is exceptionally difficult to overcome on one’s own and detoxification from alcohol abuse can even be dangerous, depending on the length and quantity of use. Contacting a treatment center specializing in AUD, like JourneyPure, is the first step in the management of the disease and can help you or a loved one start a life of sobriety. Contact our admission specialists to learn more about our comprehensive treatment program.
JourneyPure.com doctors follow rigorous sourcing guidelines and cite only trustworthy sources of information, including peer-reviewed journals, count records, academic organizations, highly regarded nonprofit organizations, government reports and their own expertise with decades in the fields and their own personal recovery.
Disclaimer
All content is for informational purposes only. No material on this site, whether from our doctors or the community, is a substitute for seeking personalized professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never disregard advice from a qualified healthcare professional or delay seeking advice because of something you read on this website.
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Chimom says: I have fatty liver disease which progressed to stage 1 NASH during fertility treatments. I did a core restore liver detox to reverse it (recommended by integrative/holistic Dr.) It would be helpful to know what to do if you are in a stage where reversing the disease is possible.
I think some diet guidelines would be helpful such as coffee (hepatologist told me about a study on its positive effects for the liver, after I reversed NASH with a detox) and apple cider vinegar in removing fat and cleaning the liver.
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Dr. Stephen Loyd M.D. says: Thanks for your question!
The number one thing you can do to reverse NASH (besides avoiding alcohol) is to maintain a healthy diet and exercise regularly. Reducing your cholesterol level and losing weight are proven to help restore liver function.
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Lucy says:
Hello doctor, my uncle is been drinking alcohol since he was 13 years and now he is 53 years. He drinks what ever he gets but mostly whiskey, which he consumes half a bottle every night but sometimes keeps 2 days of no alcohol day. But luckily he never gets sick not even a flu and hasn’t shown any symptoms of liver or any disease. I am worried about him, what are the chances of him developing liver problem.??!!
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Dr. Stephen Loyd M.D. says:
Hi Lucy, thank you for your question.
Because your uncle is a heavy drinker and has been for a long time (3-6 shots a day for 10+ years), he has a high chance of developing liver problems unless he stops drinking immediately.– Fatty liver, the first stage of liver damage from alcohol, affects about 20% of heavy drinkers.
– Alcoholic hepatitis, the next stage, affects 10 – 35% of heavy drinkers.
– Cirrhosis, the most severe form of liver damage from alcohol, affects 10-15% of heavy drinkers.If your uncle addresses his drinking problem now, there is a good chance his liver can fully recover without permanent damage. Stay strong – your uncle is lucky to have someone like you looking out for him!
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Mary McGarvey says:
Hi Doctor! I found your info here because a friend is in dire trouble from drinking, now in ICU. It’s well written and clear, but I have a suggestion: that cartoon of a lady with jaundice just looks unprofessional or fake. Why not put a photo of a healthy man and a man with jaundice, and better yet, the same man after treatment. That is what people need to see: the real thing! I had never seen anyone with jaundice so I was looking for a real photo. It would also give fortitude to those in despair, that they have ruined their health if they have jaundice. You could show how it can be cured with before/after photos. Please use a man (young and good looking of course) as the men are often the heavy drinkers. Thanks!
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Dr. Stephen Loyd M.D. says:
Hi Mary, great suggestion! I worked with our design team to incorporate real photos of jaundice skin and eyes instead of the illustration. Thank you for helping us make this blog a better resource. I’m glad you found the information helpful, and I wish you and your friend all the best!
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José R Diaz says:
Hi DR i was drinking for24 Years and i stop IT but i drink wine 4 glass a day can that be a problemas or danger
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Dr. Stephen Loyd M.D. says:
Hi José,
Yes, drinking that much wine can be dangerous. The type of alcohol doesn’t matter. All forms of alcohol, including wine, can cause health problems.
If you’re worried about how much you’re drinking, try taking an online assessment. If you answer Yes to any of the questions, I recommend getting an official assessment from your healthcare provider or a treatment center that specializes in alcohol use disorder.
Best of luck to you!
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Shannon smith says:
Can you have liver failure if you never drink alcohol ? My doctor told me my liver test was high. I never have drink alcohol. He want me to a ultrasound of my liver.
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Dr. Stephen Loyd M.D. says:
Hi Shannon! Liver failure can happen even if you never drink, but it’s rare. When it does happen, it is usually caused by hepatitis or taking too much of certain medications, like acetaminophen.
Continue to work with your doctor to investigate the results of your liver test, including having an ultrasound. Whatever is causing the elevated results needs to be addressed as soon as possible. Best of luck to you!
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Matthew says:
Thank you for this informative information. I have been struggling with alcoholism for some time, and I have started feeling abdominal pain. I am 36 and have been drinking heavily for at least ten years. I've been to rehab a couple times, but haven't been able to maintain sobriety. Now I'm scared I might have damaged my liver.
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Dr. Stephen Loyd M.D. says:
Hi Matthew, you’re welcome! I know it can get discouraging when you're struggling to stay sober, but don’t give up! Many people don’t get sober on their first try – it doesn’t mean that you can’t do it this time around.
If I could offer you any advice, I would look for an inpatient program with a strong medical team. This way, you’ll have the medical and clinical staff to treat your physical symptoms while you address the root causes of your drinking. The sooner you address both the drinking and the pain, the better. Minor liver damage is reversible, but only if you treat it early.
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Valerie Isley says:
Thank you. This article explains what I have been telling my stepdaughter, who was informed she had early signs of liver disease one week after my husband passed from encephalopathy.
Thankfully after our last go round, she is disabled and lives with me. She has started AA.
This article will be of great help in her understanding of this disease.-
Dr. Stephen Loyd M.D. says:
Hi Valerie, I’m so sorry to hear about your husband’s passing. Losing a loved one is never easy, but I’m overjoyed to hear that it inspired your stepdaughter to start attending meetings. It is so crucial to stay connected to others who are in recovery, especially in those first few months of sobriety. Best of luck to her and you as well!
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Dr. Stephen Loyd M.D. 
Mary McGarvey 
José R Diaz 
Sean 
Shannon smith 
Matthew 
Valerie Isley
Can you have liver failure if you never drink alcohol ? My doctor told me my liver test was high. I never have drink alcohol. He want me to a ultrasound of my liver.
Hi Shannon! Liver failure can happen even if you never drink, but it’s rare. When it does happen, it is usually caused by hepatitis or taking too much of certain medications, like acetaminophen.
Continue to work with your doctor to investigate the results of your liver test, including having an ultrasound. Whatever is causing the elevated results needs to be addressed as soon as possible. Best of luck to you!
Thank you. This article explains what I have been telling my stepdaughter, who was informed she had early signs of liver disease one week after my husband passed from encephalopathy.
Thankfully after our last go round, she is disabled and lives with me. She has started AA.
This article will be of great help in her understanding of this disease.
Hi Valerie, I’m so sorry to hear about your husband’s passing. Losing a loved one is never easy, but I’m overjoyed to hear that it inspired your stepdaughter to start attending meetings. It is so crucial to stay connected to others who are in recovery, especially in those first few months of sobriety. Best of luck to her and you as well!
Hello doctor, my uncle is been drinking alcohol since he was 13 years and now he is 53 years. He drinks what ever he gets but mostly whiskey, which he consumes half a bottle every night but sometimes keeps 2 days of no alcohol day. But luckily he never gets sick not even a flu and hasn’t shown any symptoms of liver or any disease. I am worried about him, what are the chances of him developing liver problem.??!!
Hi Lucy, thank you for your question.
Because your uncle is a heavy drinker and has been for a long time (3-6 shots a day for 10+ years), he has a high chance of developing liver problems unless he stops drinking immediately.
– Fatty liver, the first stage of liver damage from alcohol, affects about 20% of heavy drinkers.
– Alcoholic hepatitis, the next stage, affects 10 – 35% of heavy drinkers.
– Cirrhosis, the most severe form of liver damage from alcohol, affects 10-15% of heavy drinkers.
If your uncle addresses his drinking problem now, there is a good chance his liver can fully recover without permanent damage. Stay strong – your uncle is lucky to have someone like you looking out for him!
Hi Doctor! I found your info here because a friend is in dire trouble from drinking, now in ICU. It’s well written and clear, but I have a suggestion: that cartoon of a lady with jaundice just looks unprofessional or fake. Why not put a photo of a healthy man and a man with jaundice, and better yet, the same man after treatment. That is what people need to see: the real thing! I had never seen anyone with jaundice so I was looking for a real photo. It would also give fortitude to those in despair, that they have ruined their health if they have jaundice. You could show how it can be cured with before/after photos. Please use a man (young and good looking of course) as the men are often the heavy drinkers. Thanks!
Hi Mary, great suggestion! I worked with our design team to incorporate real photos of jaundice skin and eyes instead of the illustration. Thank you for helping us make this blog a better resource. I’m glad you found the information helpful, and I wish you and your friend all the best!
I have fatty liver disease which progressed to stage 1 NASH during fertility treatments. I did a core restore liver detox to reverse it (recommended by integrative/holistic Dr.) It would be helpful to know what to do if you are in a stage where reversing the disease is possible.
I think some diet guidelines would be helpful such as coffee (hepatologist told me about a study on its positive effects for the liver, after I reversed NASH with a detox) and apple cider vinegar in removing fat and cleaning the liver.
Thanks for your question!
The number one thing you can do to reverse NASH (besides avoiding alcohol) is to maintain a healthy diet and exercise regularly. Reducing your cholesterol level and losing weight are proven to help restore liver function.
I have a Fatty liver what can I do to get the fat out of my liver
Thank you for this informative information. I have been struggling with alcoholism for some time, and I have started feeling abdominal pain. I am 36 and have been drinking heavily for at least ten years. I've been to rehab a couple times, but haven't been able to maintain sobriety. Now I'm scared I might have damaged my liver.
Hi Matthew, you’re welcome! I know it can get discouraging when you're struggling to stay sober, but don’t give up! Many people don’t get sober on their first try – it doesn’t mean that you can’t do it this time around.
If I could offer you any advice, I would look for an inpatient program with a strong medical team. This way, you’ll have the medical and clinical staff to treat your physical symptoms while you address the root causes of your drinking. The sooner you address both the drinking and the pain, the better. Minor liver damage is reversible, but only if you treat it early.
What causes liver to go bad if not alcohol related?
Hi DR i was drinking for24 Years and i stop IT but i drink wine 4 glass a day can that be a problemas or danger
Hi José,
Yes, drinking that much wine can be dangerous. The type of alcohol doesn’t matter. All forms of alcohol, including wine, can cause health problems.
If you’re worried about how much you’re drinking, try taking an online assessment. If you answer Yes to any of the questions, I recommend getting an official assessment from your healthcare provider or a treatment center that specializes in alcohol use disorder.
Best of luck to you!
4 drinks is 4 drinks, regardless of what kind of alcohol it is.