How does alcohol affect your liver?

When alcohol travels to your bloodstream and gets filtered by your liver, your liver cells are tasked with breaking down alcohol. During this process, chemicals are introduced into that environment. As a result, the liver cells become damaged, destroyed, or scarred. The more you drink, the more likely your liver will sustain damage that can lead to liver disease.

What are the effects of too much alcohol?

Three distinct types of liver disease can result from excessive alcohol consumption. 

• Fatty liver disease occurs when too much fat has built up in the liver
• Alcoholic hepatitis is characterized by liver inflammation
• Alcohol-related cirrhosis involves scarred liver tissue replacing normal liver tissue

If you have liver cirrhosis, you could experience numerous symptoms that signal that your liver is no longer functioning correctly.  These symptoms include, but are not limited to: 

• Yellowing of your skin or eyes (also known as jaundice) 
• Pain and swelling in your abdomen, legs, and/or ankles 
• Itchy skin 
• Dark-colored urine
• Pale-colored stool
• Chronic fatigue
• Easy bruising

If you're concerned about your alcohol use, remember it's never too late to make changes.  Talk to your doctor about creating a plan to reduce your drinking and improve your liver health.