Alcoholic Liver Disease

Regular drinkers are likely to become tolerant to alcohol. The reason this happens is that the liver produces enzymes that degrades the alcohol into waste products that can be eliminated by the body. When a person drinks a lot of alcohol, the liver responds by increasing the levels of the enzymes, so that the alcohol can be degraded faster.

As the alcohol is now being broken down faster, the person will feel less effect with the same amount of booze, so starts drinking more.

Ethanal is a toxic chemical which is made by the liver when it breaks down the alcohol. This ethanal can form complexes with other molecules, and this in turn can stop a wide variety of cell functioning from occurring correctly. This can then lead to damage to the liver, and the development of alcoholic liver disease.

Alcohol will not just cause problems for the liver. Your brain and also the blood vessels of your body can be affected. In the early stages of alcohol addiction, the effects can be reversed by stopping. If the person does not stop, the disease can ultimately cause death.

a person who drinks heavily will go through various stages of the disease.

As more alcohol is drunk, the body starts storing fat deposits in the cells of the liver. These can cause bloating of the liver. The liver has a huge capacity to repair itself, and if the person stops drinking for a few weeks, the liver could return to normal. However, if they don't give up, the damage that is caused will become irreversible.

Jaundice and hepatitis can follow and these will lead onto cirrhosis which is totally irreversible due to the fibrous nature of the liver.

Cirrhosis of the liver happens as more and more fibrous tissue replaces the cells in the liver. A point comes when the liver can no longer work properly.

If patient with cirrhosis stops drinking, the liver will stop being damaged. Existing damage will not be repaired though.

Alcohol is addictive, and many patients who drink regularly find they become dependent on it and its effects. If you find that you have the following symptoms, you should consult your doctor:

Daily consumption of alcohol, increased tolerance to the effects of alcohol, high levels of blood alcohol with no sign of being drunk & compulsive drinking.