Liver

The liver breaks down most of the alcohol a person drinks. (The rest leaves the body in breath, urine and sweat.) The liver contains enzymes that break down alcohol to water and carbon dioxide which are harmless to the body.

However, your liver can only break down about one alcoholic drink an hour in an average adult, the rest circulates in your blood, brain and organs. The alcohol will remain circulating until it has all been broken down by the liver . If the body can't cope with all the alcohol in its system, the person can pass out, or in extreme cases fall into an alcoholic coma (which can be fatal).

Long-term drinking kills off liver cells, leading to a disease called 'cirrhosis'. It's a 'silent' disease - symptoms may not be noticeable until the disease is advanced. Long-term excessive drinking can also lead to liver cancer or other cancers.

For more on liver disease(click here)

The liver contains enzymes that break down alcohol to water and carbon dioxide which are harmless to the body. Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to three types of liver disease:

• Fatty Liver – a build up of fat. This can occur after a single session of heavy drinking or as a result of regular drinking over the recommended drinking guidelines. It reverses very quickly when alcohol is withdrawn and leaves no permanent damage. However if regular heavy drinking continues then about 15 – 20% of individuals will go on to develop more serious liver damage in the form of alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis.  

• Alcoholic hepatitis – this is an inflammation of the liver that can range from mild to severe. Individuals with mild to moderate alcoholic hepatitis may be unaware that they have liver damage while individuals with severe alcoholic hepatitis may develop liver failure. Alcoholic hepatitis may reverse in many individuals if they stop drinking immediately.



• Alcoholic cirrhosis - this results from a process where normal liver tissue is replaced by scar tissue, eventually leading to the liver’s inability to function properly. Individuals with alcohol-related cirrhosis may not have any symptoms or signs or else they may develop several complications such as jaundice, fluid retention or serious bleeding from the oesophagus (gullet). Although alcoholic cirrhosis is not reversible, stopping alcohol can make a significant difference to survival.