Alcohol and liver disease
Alcohol can severely damage the liver. It can result in fatty liver, inflammation and ultimately fibrosis (scarring). When the scarring is severe, we call this cirrhosis and it is with cirrhosis that the serious issues arise – liver failure, liver cancer and ultimately, death from liver disease. It is possible to have severe alcohol-related liver disease, even cirrhosis, and be unaware. Unfortunately, it is not unusual for patients to present with very advanced and even irreversible alcohol-related liver disease. However, patients with advanced liver disease related to alcohol can stabilise and avoid life-threatening complications should they become totally abstinent. We strongly advise and support patients with alcohol related liver disease or cirrhosis to avoid alcohol completely.
We also encourage liver assessments (also known as liver staging) in those patients that have been drinking alcohol in a high risk way.
There is no safe level of alcohol consumption, but there are low risk weekly alcohol guidelines. If you stick to these, you are unlikely to end up with any alcohol-related harm. For women, this is less than 11 standard drinks (110g pure alcohol) spread out over the week, with several alcohol-free days. For men, less than 17 standard drinks (170g pure alcohol) spread out over the week, again with several alcohol-free days. To translate those figures into standard drinks, 110g is around a bottle of 13% wine or 5 pints of beer, and 170g is around a bottle and a half of wine or 8 pints of beer.
It is important to realise that the more alcohol you drink, the more you expose yourself to health harms. Not just liver disease, but also, amongst other things, cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer and mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. For anyone drinking over the low risk levels, there are many reasons to reduce alcohol intake.
Your GP is a good first port of call for help and advice. They can then decide if you need further specialist help. Fortunately there are effective treatments for patients wanting to cut down.
Useful links:
https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/5/addiction/drugshivhelpline/
https://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/php/drug-alcohol-task-forces.php
https://www.corkdrugandalcohol.ie