Your liver performs many essential functions without which you cannot survive and one of the functions of the liver is to break down complex and toxic compounds, including alcohol. So, when you consume alcohol, your liver starts producing special enzymes that help it break down the alcohol compounds into simple molecules that can be easily removed from your body. But there’s a limit to how much the liver can process and when you drink above that limit, it fails to break the excess alcohol which then accumulates in the liver in the form of excess fat.
If you continue to drink over this limit, which people with alcohol addiction do, more fat will accumulate, which can trigger an inflammatory response and a persistent inflammation will lead to the development of scar tissue. A liver with scar tissues is what you call liver damage. Before we get on with the early signs of liver damage from alcohol, let’s take a moment to understand what a liver does actually.
If you or someone you care about is showing any signs of liver damage from alcohol, it may be time to consult a professional team at a drug rehab center like All American Detox Center and seek treatment.
Functions of Liver
Your liver is the largest organ in your body and it sits just under your ribs on the upper right side of your abdomen. Here are some of the major functions that a liver does-
- Break down alcohol, drugs, or any other toxic compounds that you consume.
- It can also store glucose and certain vitamins
- It makes proteins that are useful for blood clot formation
- It produces bile juice that helps in the digestion of fats.
Do you know that liver is the only internal organ that can regenerate fully? It has such an effective regeneration process that one can donate a part of their liver and both the donor liver as well as the donated liver can fully regenerate back to their original size. This is remarkable but everything has its limits and repeated damage to the liver from alcohol decreases its regenerative efficiency.
This happens when you drink too much alcohol and healthy liver tissues get replaced by scar tissues and when there are not enough liver tissues left, your liver will fail to regenerate and that’s the point of no return. After this point, it cannot regenerate anymore and so it will fail to perform the vital functions mentioned above, leading to death unless you can find a donor for a liver transplant. If you believe you are at risk of developing alcohol-related liver disease, it’s important that you go check up with an alcohol rehab center.
Early Signs of Liver Damage from Alcohol
There are no early signs of liver damage from alcohol. Most people who have early stages of alcohol-based liver damage often show no symptoms and by the time symptoms start to appear, permanent damage starts to set in. One of the liver’s jobs is to break down certain compounds in your body, including toxins, alcohol, drugs, etc. and symptoms will only appear if your liver fails to break down those compounds.
One of the reasons why the liver may fail to break down the compounds is liver damage due to scar tissue development. Since the liver doesn’t show any early signs of alcohol damage, people often fail to take appropriate measures to stop further damage. At these stages, you may find the following symptoms-
- Fatigue
- Swelling of your liver which will cause discomfort in the upper right side of your abdomen
- Unexplained loss of appetite
- Sudden loss of weight
- Nausea and/or vomiting
If you believe you have any one or more of these symptoms, you could be in need of detox and so you should check in to an detox center.
Risk Factors That Increases The Chances of Developing Liver Disease
These are the risk factors that could lead to the development of the liver disease-
-
Alcohol Consumption
As you know by now, alcohol consumption has the highest risk of developing liver disease. It will start by developing fats in your liver which if left untreated will begin to form scary tissues over time as you continue drinking.
-
Obesity
Obesity is another high-risk factor that also causes significant fat deposits in the liver, which when combined with other lifestyle risks increase the chances of liver damage.
-
Infections
Infections such as Hepatitis B or C will significantly accelerate the development of chronic liver disease.
-
Genetics
Genetics also plays an equally important role in how healthy your liver is going to be in the long run.
Can You Heal From A Liver Damage Condition?
Can your liver heal from chronic damage or other damages since it has such regenerative capabilities? The answer is no and yes. If it’s a chronic disease, the word chronic itself means something that isn’t treatable. So, chronic liver disease or scarred liver due to alcohol cannot heal and will; require a liver transplant. However, if you happen to catch the disease in its fatty stage without any significant scarring, then there’s a chance it will either partially or fully heal in time. If scarring or any other damage is on one side or in a small area of the liver, then it can be surgically removed, allowing the liver to grow back. There are some great detox centers that you can check into for any examination.
Wrapping Up
While lots of other substances can also damage your liver, alcohol is the one that causes the most damage over a period of time. Once scar tissue development begins, damage starts to set in permanently and cannot be reversed. Minimizing alcoholic drinking and increasing exercise is the only way you can stop further damage and improve liver health. To know more about the treatment process, make a call now: +1 844-570-1301.
