Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsAlcohol and the LiverQuantity of IntakeLiver DamageRisk of Liver CancerOdds of Recovery
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Alcohol and the Liver
Quantity of Intake
Liver Damage
Risk of Liver Cancer
Odds of Recovery
Alcohol candamage the liverif consumed in excess. While the liver can often repair itself after a period of alcohol use, the chronic, heavy consumption of alcohol can lead to permanent damage and the onset ofcirrhosis, in which the liver is less able to filter blood. This, in turn, increases the risk ofliver failureandliver cancer.
This article looks at the short-term and long-term effects of alcohol on the liver and what happens if you drink alcohol occasionally, daily, or heavily. It also explains the consequences of heavy drinking and whether it’s possible to recover from liver damage after heavy alcohol use.
Alcohol and Liver Effects
The liver is an organ about the size of a football in the average healthy adult. It has many functions in the human body, including:
Every time you drink alcohol, some liver cells (calledhepatocytes) die. Although the liver is a robust organ that can regenerate new liver cells, drinking too much over many years can reduce its ability to regenerate cells.
The effects of alcohol on the liver can change withshort-termand long-term use.
Short-Term Use
Acetaldehyde can damage the liver. Acetaldehyde is a highly reactive, toxic chemical that theimmune systemrecognizes as harmful. The binding of acetaldehyde to proteins and fat cells in the liver triggers aninflammatoryresponse that can damage and kill hepatocytes.
The breakdown of alcohol also leads to the production ofreactive oxygen species (ROS). These are highly unstable molecules that can turn on and off certain functions in the body. In the liver, ROS affects how fat cells are produced, triggering the accumulation of fat known ashepatic steatosisor fatty liver disease.
If the liver is healthy, fatty liver disease can be reversed, and hepatocytes can start to regenerate themselves over a relatively short period.However, with ongoing use, these capabilities can be impaired, sometimes irreversibly.
Lifestyle Tips for Fatty Liver Disease
Long-Term
Long-term alcohol use can lead to the progression of liver disease and the development of scar tissues, known asfibrosis. During early-stage liver disease, fibrosis is often reversible if alcohol use is permanently stopped.
However, when scarring is severe enough to impair the function of your liver, you are said to havecirrhosis. Cirrhosis is typically progressive and irreversible.
If you have cirrhosis and the liver is still relatively functional, you are said to havecompensated cirrhosisand not experience any notable symptoms.
If the damage is so extensive that the liver is no longer able to service the body’s needs, you are said to havedecompensated cirrhosis, which leads to liver failure.
How Alcohol Affects Different Parts of the Body
Quantity of Alcohol and Liver Function
The amount of alcohol you consume, along with how long you drink, influences your risk of fatty liver disease, fibrosis, and cirrhosis.
According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, a “standard” drink contains about 0.6 fluid ounces, or 14 grams (g), of pure alcohol. Beverages differ in their percentages of pure alcohol. Therefore, a standard drink is the following amounts per beverage type:
Occasional Consumption
Although the liver is efficient in metabolizing small quantities of alcohol and regenerating new liver cells, drinking a large amount, even for a few days, can lead to fatty liver disease. The condition is usuallyasymptomatic(without symptoms) and, if you stop drinking for two weeks, is fully reversible.
The same may not be true if youbinge drink. Binge drinking is defined as drinking more than four standard drinks for women or more than five standard drinks for men on a single occasion.
Extreme binge drinking can sometimes lead toacute pancreatitisand, in severe cases,alcohol poisoning.There is evidence that even occasional bouts of binge drinking have led to permanent liver damage.
The results suggest that relatively short periods of excessive drinking can lead to liver damage. It remains unclear whether these changes to the liver are completely reversible.
A Note on Gender and Sex TerminologyVerywell Health acknowledges thatsex and genderare related concepts, but they are not the same. To reflect our sources accurately, this article uses terms like “female,” “male,” “woman,” and “man” in the same way the sources use them.
A Note on Gender and Sex Terminology
Verywell Health acknowledges thatsex and genderare related concepts, but they are not the same. To reflect our sources accurately, this article uses terms like “female,” “male,” “woman,” and “man” in the same way the sources use them.
Daily Consumption
According to the 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans,moderate alcohol use is defined as up to one standard drink per day for women or two standard drinks a day for men.
These amounts have long been considered “safe” for the liver. However, when the intake is increased to over 30 g per day in men and 20 g in women, there is not only an increased risk of fibrosis but also an increased risk of progression to cirrhosis.
Other factors may contribute to the onset of cirrhosis with daily alcohol use. According to the long-standing Million Women Study conducted in the United Kingdom, drinking alcohol on an empty stomach increases the risk of cirrhosis compared to drinking alcohol with food. Consuming distilled spirits was also seen to increase the risk compared to drinking wine only.
What Are Signs of Liver Disease?
Heavy Consumption
Heavy alcohol use is defined as eight or more drinks per week for women or 15 or more drinks per week for men.Others define it as binge drinking five or more days in the past month.
Why Are Females at Greater Risk?Females are at greater risk of alcohol-related liver disease in part because they produce less aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), the enzyme that breaks down acetaldehyde. As a result, liver cells are exposed to the damaging effects of acetaldehyde for far longer.Estrogenappears to play a key role in why ADHL levels are lower in females.
Why Are Females at Greater Risk?
Females are at greater risk of alcohol-related liver disease in part because they produce less aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), the enzyme that breaks down acetaldehyde. As a result, liver cells are exposed to the damaging effects of acetaldehyde for far longer.Estrogenappears to play a key role in why ADHL levels are lower in females.
How Long Does It Take to Sober Up After Drinking?
Liver Damage vs. Liver Failure From Alcohol
Decompensated cirrhosis occurs when severe scarring makes the liver incapable of filtering blood or performing other essential body functions. As opposed to compensated cirrhosis, in which you may not feel or look sick even if the liver is severely scarred, decompensated cirrhosis will invariably cause symptoms.
Symptoms of alcohol-related liver failure tend to develop rapidly, causing:
As liver failure progresses, rising toxin levels can start to affect the brain, leading tohepatic encephalopathy. This can cause mood or personality changes, impaired thinking, loss of concentration, and sleep problems. In severe cases, coma can occur.
With progression, liver failure can lead tohepatorenal syndrome (HRS)in which thekidneys also start to fail. HRS is a life-threatening complication. Around 50% of people die within two weeks of diagnosis, and 80% die within three months.
Complications of Cirrhosis You May Not Know
Cancer, Alcohol, and Liver
Acetaldehyde is classified as a probable human carcinogen (cancer-causing agent).
According to the National Cancer Institute, heavy alcohol consumption is associated with a twofold increased risk ofhepatocellular carcinoma(the most common type of liver cancer) andintrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma(a related cancer affecting the bile ducts).
The risk of liver cancer from alcohol use appears to be dose-dependent, meaning that your risk increases with the amount you drink.
A Word From VerywellStruggling with alcohol? Reaching out for help isn’t weakness, it’s courage that paves the way to reclaiming your life. You deserve support. Every step towards help is a step towards healing and rediscovering the joy you deserve.—KASHIF J. PIRACHA, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
A Word From Verywell
Struggling with alcohol? Reaching out for help isn’t weakness, it’s courage that paves the way to reclaiming your life. You deserve support. Every step towards help is a step towards healing and rediscovering the joy you deserve.—KASHIF J. PIRACHA, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
Struggling with alcohol? Reaching out for help isn’t weakness, it’s courage that paves the way to reclaiming your life. You deserve support. Every step towards help is a step towards healing and rediscovering the joy you deserve.
—KASHIF J. PIRACHA, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
Recovering From the Effects of Alcohol on the Liver
There is no specific treatment for alcohol-related liver disease other than to stop drinking, preferably for the rest of your life. This reduces the risk of further liver injury, giving you the best chance of recovering.
Early-stage liver disease is fully reversible once alcohol is stopped. However, if there is progression from fibrosis to cirrhosis, the odds of regression (reversibility) are decreased.But that doesn’t necessarily mean that you are destined to get worse.
Even if cirrhosis can’t be fully reversed, stopping alcohol can greatly reduce its severity, increasing blood circulation and improving the regeneration of hepatocytes. Healthcare providers can measure this with a type of ultrasound called aFibroScanand a panel of blood tests calledliver function tests (LFTs).
A 2021 review of studies in the journalAlcohol Researchreported that one month of abstinence can return LFTs to normal levels even in people who previously consumed 258 g of alcohol per week.While this may not reverse cirrhosis, it can go a long way toward slowing disease progression and reducing the risk of liver cancer or liver failure.
Moderation or Abstinence?If you have fatty liver disease, it may be reasonable to drink in moderation once any damage to the liver has been reversed. Your healthcare provider can tell you when it is safe to do so.On the other hand, if you have been diagnosed with cirrhosis or developsymptoms of hepatitis, lifelong abstinence is advised.
Moderation or Abstinence?
If you have fatty liver disease, it may be reasonable to drink in moderation once any damage to the liver has been reversed. Your healthcare provider can tell you when it is safe to do so.On the other hand, if you have been diagnosed with cirrhosis or developsymptoms of hepatitis, lifelong abstinence is advised.
If you have fatty liver disease, it may be reasonable to drink in moderation once any damage to the liver has been reversed. Your healthcare provider can tell you when it is safe to do so.
On the other hand, if you have been diagnosed with cirrhosis or developsymptoms of hepatitis, lifelong abstinence is advised.
How to Stop Drinking If You Can’t
Summary
Alcohol can damage the liver. While the liver has the remarkable ability to regenerate itself after alcohol use, ongoing heavy consumption can lead to scarring that reduces liver function and can also permanently damage the liver.
Limiting your intake to one standard drink per day if you are female and two standard drinks if you are male is generally considered “safe” for your liver. However, even occasional binge drinking can lead to liver damage if enough is consumed.
If alcohol use leads to cirrhosis, the only way to prevent progression (and reduce the risk of liver cancer or failure) is to quit.
What Happens If You Stop Drinking for One Month
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