Alcohol-related fatty liver disease (ARLD) gets progressively worse as you continue to drink the poisonous beverage. Once the disease is quite advanced, the condition may be irreversible. «Whenever we drink alcohol, the liver has to filter it to break it down and remove it from the body,» explained the British Liver Trust. «Some liver cells die during this process, so the liver needs a break from alcohol to allow it to regenerate and make new cells.»
If you drink continuously every day or every week, for a long period of time, the liver cannot recover.
«This can result in serious and permanent damage,» the charity warned.
There are three stages of ARLD:
- Fatty liver
- alcohol-related hepatitis
- Cirrhosis.
By the time ARLD has developed into cirrhosis, the condition has become «irreversible.»
Cirrhosis describes accumulation of scar tissue in the liver.
The scarred liver is no longer soft, but contains irregular nodules. When this happens, the shape of the liver is distorted and symptoms may arise.
The Mayo Clinic listed the signs and symptoms of cirrhosis, which may include:
- Fatigue
- Bleeding or bruising easily
- loss of appetite
- Nausea
- Swelling of the legs, feet or ankles.
- Weightloss
- Skin itch
- Yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes.
- Fluid buildup in your abdomen.
- Spider-shaped blood vessels on your skin
- Redness of the palms of the hands.
- For women, absent or missed periods unrelated to menopause
- For men, loss of sexual desire, breast enlargement, or testicular atrophy
- Confusion, drowsiness, and trouble speaking.
Cirrhosis can lead to liver failure, as there are too few cells left to carry out normal liver functions.
The NHS issued a dire warning about the risk associated with drinking alcohol when you have cirrhosis.
- «A person who has alcohol-related cirrhosis and does not stop drinking has less than a 50 percent chance of living at least five more years,» the NHS said.
Heavy drinking over the years can also increase the risk of cancer.
Am I drinking too much alcohol?
UK national guidelines suggest drinking no more than 14 units per week.
This equates to six pints of average strength beer for the week.
Alternatively, 14 units of alcohol can also equal 10 small glasses (125 ml) of low-proof wine.
«There is now a better understanding of the link between drinking and some diseases, including a range of cancers,» the NHS said.
Keep in mind that drinking less than 14 units per week is considered «low risk,» rather than safe.
«There is no safe level of drinking,» the NHS confirmed, highlighting a number of diseases a person is at risk of after 10 to 20 years of regular drinking.
Health risks associated with drinking:
- Cancers of the mouth, throat and breast
- Race
- Heart disease
- liver disease
- Brain damage
- Damage to the nervous system.
«There is also evidence that regular drinking at high-risk levels can worsen your mental health,» the NHS added.