No Alcohol for a Month: Liver Improvements
Many of us enjoy a social scene that involves (ok, sometimes, revolves around) alcohol. If it’s not a Friday night session to relax after work, it’s a beery sports match or bubbly Sunday brunch.
And most of us need no persuasion to join in. But what if we’re getting tired of the hangovers, and looking to make a change and give our bodies a break? If we took a month-long break from alcohol, swapping the booze for a soft drink, would our livers thank us for it?
Without knowing too much about human biology, or the innermost secrets of alcohol abuse, most of us know that our livers cop most of the flack when it comes to keeping up with our alcohol drinking habits.
So while we might know of other health benefits of quitting booze like lower blood pressure, better mental health, and better sleep, let’s take a deeper dive into our liver health.
How can your liver benefit from just 30 short days of no alcohol?
Let’s start with the basics...
What does your liver do?
Your liver, sitting in the upper right part of the abdomen, is essentially a biological masterpiece. It has over 500 functions that work together to filter your blood; determining which substances need to be processed, stored, eliminated, or returned to your bloodstream.
Your liver not only detoxifies your blood, removing dangerous substances (ahem… alcohol), it also manufactures useful enzymes, hormones, and proteins, helps the immune system ward off illness, balances cholesterol levels, helps control blood sugar levels, converts vitamins and minerals for our body to use, and stores excess energy as glycogen for when we need it.
Right. So it’s pretty important to our general health.
So, how does alcohol affect the liver?
Even the liver has its limitations, and can only process so much alcohol at one time — about one “standard” alcoholic drink per hour. The excess alcohol that it can’t deal with is what stays in your bloodstream, and this is what makes you feel drunk.
This is why you feel intoxicated quickly by binge drinking — if you have multiple glasses of wine or other alcoholic beverages over a short time frame, as opposed to one or two pints over a longer period.
Liver damage caused by alcohol is twofold.
Firstly, alcohol is a toxin. The liver recognises this and prioritises helping us get rid of the danger. If your liver is overwhelmed with alcohol, it can’t keep up with its other functions.
So it’s only logical that if you drink alcohol daily, those other important functions your liver has are going to be pushed down the priority list. This can lead to serious health issues and poor overall health.
Secondly, regular alcohol consumption increases fatty deposits in and around the liver, which can lead to more serious liver diseases — plus the formation of scar tissue, resulting in a liver that just can’t keep up.
What happens to your liver if you stop drinking for a month?
Your liver is the only regenerative organ in your body, and in most cases, can heal and repair itself. Pretty good news! Having said that, everyone has a different level of alcohol their body can tolerate, so for some, more serious liver problems can come on earlier than for others.
Your “normal” alcohol intake, overall health and lifestyle choices outside of drinking alcohol, and certain genetic risk factors will all play a part in what will happen to your liver if you choose to have an alcohol-free month.
So, what are the liver improvements possible after one month alcohol-free?
Reduced liver fat
Regular alcohol consumption of two units of alcohol per day for men and one unit per day for women increases the chances of developing fatty liver disease in the long run. Alcohol can cause a build-up of fat in the liver which causes damage on a cellular level, and in turn, causes inflammation.
If the fat doesn’t go away, the damaged liver cells can develop into scar tissue, which is called alcohol-induced fibrosis. The most severe cases can lead to cirrhosis, the latter (often irreversible) stages of serious liver disease.
If you decide to quit drinking for as little as 30 days, you can reduce the amount of fat built up in your liver, returning the cells to their healthy, functioning selves.
Improved liver function
Without having to deal with filtering alcohol from our bloodstream, your liver can perform its other functions much more readily. So this one isn’t really limited to just your liver, as it may have beneficial effects on your entire body.
By letting your liver focus on other processes, you may find yourself:
With more energy, as you’re more easily absorbing nutrients and vitamins from your food.
Suffering from fewer illnesses, as your liver is helping your immune system ward off infection.
Losing unwanted weight as your metabolism speeds up.
Reduced chance of liver cancer
Alcohol consumption is linked to a few different types of cancer. Although excessive drinking isn’t the only cause of liver cancer, it is one of the main risk factors, with 12% of people suffering from cirrhosis going on to develop liver cancer.
Free radicals produced by the metabolism of alcohol, and the impact of liver scar tissue on the regrowth of new liver cells, can increase the risk of developing liver cancer.
Therefore, you can reduce your risk of liver cancer by quitting alcohol for a period to help your liver cells recover from fatty deposits, and by sticking to recommended “safe” drinking guidelines when you do choose to drink.
It’s non-stop good news!
Let’s move on to a couple of frequently asked questions...
Can your liver heal in a month?
Yes! Occasional drinkers and people who usually enjoy light to moderate alcohol consumption can help their liver to heal – and completely reverse the early stages of alcoholic liver disease – by abstaining from alcohol for around 30 days.
Those used to heavy alcohol consumption (regularly exceeding the safe weekly alcohol allowance) will need a longer period of sobriety — from three months to a year — to allow their liver to fully repair and return to its normal functioning ability.
For people who have abused alcohol for a long time, the damage may not be reversible. Alcoholics in the latter stages of alcohol-induced liver disease may need to abstain from alcohol for the rest of their lives to avoid complete liver failure. In some cases, a liver transplant may be the only way to fully recover from an alcohol use disorder.
How do I know if alcohol has damaged my liver?
The tricky thing about alcohol-induced liver disease is that the symptoms aren’t immediately apparent, and the severity of the disease can progress for years without detection. Generally speaking, your liver will be in bad shape by the time you suffer from persistent symptoms.
This is why, even if you don’t want to live a life of sobriety, having regular alcohol-free days, occasional longer periods of alcohol abstinence, and avoiding heavy binge drinking is advisable.
Common symptoms of liver diseases including liver hepatitis and cirrhosis include:
Jaundice
Persistent abdominal pain and swelling
Swollen legs and ankles
Vomiting blood
Itchy skin that bruises easily
Chronic fatigue, weakness, and disorientation
Loss of appetite.
70% of people diagnosed with advanced liver disease are alcohol dependents, so if you know you are a heavy drinker, or have an alcohol dependence, noticing any of these symptoms could be a sign of trouble. Your doctor may suggest blood tests, do some liver function tests, or use a specialised ultrasound machine to check the condition of your liver in a non-invasive way.
We’re not addiction specialists, so if this could be you, getting professional help and medical support is probably a good idea. Quitting an alcohol addiction is a major decision and not one to be taken lightly.
On the other hand, we’re here to help out you casual drinkers who are wanting to make a short-term change to see some positive effects on your overall health and wellbeing.