Alcohol-Related Liver Damage

Alcohol liver disease is caused by liver damage from years of excessive drinking. Years of abuse may lead to inflammation and swelling of the liver, thereby causing alcohol liver. This damage may also lead to injury called cirrhosis. The final stage of alcohol liver disease is cirrhosis. ARLD is a significant public health issue. Some 8-10% of Americans consume heavy beverages. 10 to 15 percent of these are expected to develop ARLD. The classification of heavy drinks for women and men is higher than eight alcoholic beverages a week.

Alcohol liver disease can be only one of the consequences of overconsumption of alcohol. This is particularly serious because a damaged liver can be fatal. Learn how this serious condition can be prevented and treated. Alcohol liver disorders such as serious drinking, binge alcohol consumption, and overdependence on alcohol have negative physical, emotional, and mental effects on drinking people.

Alcohol addiction does not harm any drinker’s life and even moderate drinking can increase the risk of various alcohol liver problems, including liver damage and cirrhosis. It can be especially painful to watch your loved one harm your health by drinking. However, both chronic and acute symptoms – particularly alcohol liver disease – can be strong arguments for the need for immediate treatment.

The sooner you can help your loved ones stop drinking and prevent alcohol liver through a comprehensive dual diagnosis treatment program, the better if they have problems with their health due to chronic drinks.

Meaning of Alcohol Liver Condition

Alcohol liver disease induced by alcoholism is frequent but is preventable. Three types are available. Over time, a lot of chronic alcoholics advance through these three types:

• A Lot of Fats in their Liver: Means the accumulation of fat in the cells of the liver. It causes the liver to grow. This is one of the very prominent alcohol liver problems with alcohol.
• Alcoholic Hepatitis: Active liver inflammation is alcoholic hepatitis. Liver cells are dying, which mostly comes with continuous wearing off.
• Cirrhosis Due to Overdrinking: This condition means when the vital liver tissues are killed. This causes injury and affects how the liver works.

A typical liver has a big shape and it is located at the right side. Its functions include:

• Assists in filtering toxins
• Enables bile to assist in food digestion 
• Stores body sugar used for energy
• Protein production for various body functions, for instance, proteins for blood clotting 

The Causes of Alcohol Liver Condition

Heavy use of alcohol causes alcohol liver. The task of liver cells is to decompose alcohol. It can be badly damaged when a person consumes more alcohol and fails to process it. People who are heavy drinkers are likely to develop fats in the liver. Abuse of alcohol for a very long period in alcoholics is linked to alcohol liver and alcoholic cirrhosis. Health providers have no idea the reason behind heavy drinking and some people don’t.

Early Signs and Symptoms of Alcohol Liver Damage

If you suffer from early alcohol liver symptoms, these are very vague, for example:

• Abdominal discomfort 
• No desire to eat
• Tiredness
• Feeling sick
• Diarrhea

Advanced Symptoms of an Alcohol Liver Damaged

When this unique organ gets more seriously injured, a person might notice symptoms if alcohol liver that are severe, including:

• Jaundice, which means some body parts become yellow
• Edema, which is the swelling of limbs due to accumulation of fluid
• Abdominal swelling due to an accumulation of fluid called ascites
• High temperature
• Itchy skin
• Loss of hair
• Clubbed fingers make the limbs to curve unusually 
• Red palms
• Loss of body mass
• Lack of strength 
• Uncertainty and forgetfulness
• Insomnia 
• Changes personality due the presence of toxins
• Passing black, tarry stool 
• Vomiting blood due to internal bleeding
• A likelihood to easily get injured and bleed, like constant bleeding in the nose
• Higher drugs and alcohol vulnerability since liver cells are unable to metabolize them

The Right Time to Visit a Physician 

Alcohol liver problem is a serious, often deadly condition. Visit your doctor if you:

• Experience signs or symptoms of alcoholic hepatitis
• Cannot control your drinking
• Want assistance in reducing your drinking

Risk Factors Associated with Alcohol Liver

Alcohol intake is the main risk factor for alcohol liver. It is not known how much alcohol is needed to risk alcohol. However, most people living with this condition had a history of drinking over 3.5 oz (100 grams) — equal to seven cups of wine, seven beers, or seven spirits — every day for a minimum of 20 years. However, among those who drink less and have other risk factors, alcoholic hepatitis can occur. Additional risk factors if alcohol liver are:

• Your Sex: Females are more susceptible to alcohol development due to the differences in alcohol treatment in women.
• Obesity: Overweight heavy drinkers may be likely to develop and move from alcoholic hepatitis to cirrhosis.
• Genetic Factors: Research indicates that a genetic component can occur in alcoholic liver disease even if genetic and environmental factors are difficult to separate.
• Race and Ethnicity: The risk of alcoholic hepatitis could be higher for Blacks and Hispanics.
• Binge Drinking: Five or more drinks within two hours may increase your risk of alcoholic hepatitis for men and four or more for women.

Resulting Complications

Alcohol liver complications are caused by severe damage to scar tissues of the liver. Scar tissue can slow your liver, increase blood pressure, and the build-up of toxins in a major blood vessel (portal vena). The following are complications:

• Varices (Enlarged Veins): Blood that cannot fluidly flow through the portal vein, in the stomach and esophagus, can return into other blood vessels. The thin walls of these blood vessels will probably bleed if filled with too much blood. Life-threatening and immediate medical treatment is major bleeding in the upper stomach or esophagus.
• Ascites: Fluid build-up in the abdomen could get infected and require antibiotic treatment. Ascites are not life-threatening but are often an indicator of progressive alcohol hepatitis or cirrhosis.
• Confusion, Drowsiness, and Slurred Speech: A damaged liver can withstand your body’s toxins. Toxins can damage your brain by building up. Coma can be caused by serious liver encephalopathy.
• Kidney Failure: Damaged liver can influence kidney blood flow, resulting in organ damage.
• Cirrhosis: This liver injury leads to alcohol liver and subsequently to liver failure.

Noticeable Implications of Alcohol-Related Disorders

Whatever you do, as long as it is not occasional drinking can lead to some health conditions, based on recent research by NIAAA, heavy drinking has a serious effect on every system.

The Cause of Alcoholism May be:

• Changes the way the brain works which ultimately affects the conduct of a person
• Increases the pressure in the blood and subsequently, heart disease
• Pancreatitis and a damaged pancreas
• Higher cancer rates
• An immune system that’s crippled

Alcohol has a negative impact on the liver most and most often. There may be several conditions that have the ability to result in dangerous drinker problems such as alcohol liver over time.

Killing Liver Cells

Booze is a chemical, which can cause harm to the liver, and even moderate drinking. Alcoholics have almost all disorders linked to the liver. That vital organ is crucial for the functioning of the body, and how well the drinker lives also deteriorates as it gets worse. If despite chronic liver problems, somebody keeps on consuming alcohol, this can result in alcohol liver and mortality in the future.

Hepatic Cirrhosis

According to the NIAA, cirrhosis of the liver, an alcohol liver disease, occurs between ten-twenty% of chronic alcoholics in the United States. Cirrhosis is the 7th biggest cause of motility in young people and affects not a small number of Americans. Every year, thousands of US citizens die from cirrhosis due to alcohol abuse. Cirrhosis is serious liver scaring that disrupts the ability of the liver to control the metabolism of the body. Sadly, there are limited treatment options. Stop drinking is the best thing a person can do towards recovery.

Treatment of Alcoholism and Alcohol Liver Issues

Most times, the reasons someone is ultimately seeking treatment for alcohol are grave physical problems such as alcohol liver disease and cirrhosis.

When people stop drinking in good time, the effects from the liver can be reversed in many cases. Alcohol addiction therapy should be recommended in the face of alcoholism, but a person cannot live longer if alcohol liver damage and cirrhosis are a concern.

If your dear one’s liver condition is diagnosed with chronic alcohol or drinking, this must not be capital punishment. 

Preventive Measures

You stand a chance of reducing your risk of liver damage if you:

• Drink Moderately Alcohol, if At All: Moderate drinking for healthy adults means to women of all ages and men over 65 to drink up to one day and to men over 65 to drink up to two days. Avoiding all alcohol is the only certain way to avoid alcoholic hepatitis.
• Guard Against Hepatitis C: Hepatitis C is a virus-related infectious disease of the liver. Cirrhosis may occur untreated. You’re much more likely to develop cirrhosis if you have hepatitis C and drink alcohol than if you haven’t drunk.
• Confirm Before you Mix Medications and Alcohol: Ask your doctor if you can take your prescription medications to drink alcohol safely. Read the labels of warnings about medicinal products on the market. Do not drink alcohol in combination with alcoholic drugs [particularly pain relievers, like acetaminophen] (Tylenol, others).

Find out how alcohol liver can affect your loved one and how we can help them help fight alcoholism and all other problems with a dual diagnosis program. Contact us today about alcohol liver and we will link you up with a professional to assist you.