Even moderate drinking proves to have damaging effects on the brain, heart, and liver. Can sober months lead to long-term health benefits? If so, how long does to abstain from alcohol to repair the liver? 

One of the biggest problems with alcohol is its social prevalence. We are immersed in a casual drinking culture, whether having a quiet dinner with family or binge drinking through the weekend with friends. While most of us are conditioned to accept alcohol as a favorite pastime, numerous health concerns can arise due to alcohol indulgence, even when consumed in small amounts. Health experts have recently found a strong correlation between alcohol consumption and high blood pressure, strokes, liver disease, and cancer. Still, the ability to confidently say no to alcoholic drinks proves to be incredibly challenging. However, there is merit to the notion that abstaining from alcohol can help your body recover and rebuild, particularly the liver.

It’s no surprise that avoiding alcohol can be difficult. If you drink occasionally, you’ve probably considered the benefits of cutting back but may not have taken action because it feels like a monumental feat. Organizations have created entire months around this issue—Dry January and Sober October—to help others find relief in sobriety. Others challenge themselves to quit for specific causes or charity events or embrace healthier habits and self-care. The good news is your liver can begin to regenerate when alcohol is no longer an everyday factor.

We’re taking a closer look at the detrimental impact alcohol has on the liver and how long to abstain from alcohol to repair the liver.

Alcohol Consumption Trends

For many people, a cocktail or a beer can be a familiar and comforting part of their social lives in the evening. However, according to the NIAAA, alcohol-related illnesses kill more than 88,000 Americans yearly. That’s more than all illicit drug overdose deaths combined, and the numbers keep climbing.

At the start of 2020, a new coronavirus caused a global crisis, leaving millions in isolation. Unsurprisingly, the pandemic drove a surge in alcohol sales through the most grueling months. According to Nielsen’s market data, total alcohol sales outside bars and restaurants surged roughly 25% during the pandemic. Sales of spirits rose even higher, with more than a 27% increase since 2019. The negative impact on physical and mental health is profound, highlighting the risk of choosing alcohol as a coping strategy for stress and depression, among other mental health issues. But what sorts of health impactions come with excessive drinking aside from the dreaded hangover?

Alcohol’s Impact on the Liver

The liver is a vital organ that breaks down and filters harmful substances in the blood. It also manufactures proteins, enzymes, and hormones that the body uses to ward off infections and illnesses. Further, it converts necessary vitamins, nutrients, and medicines into substances that our bodies can use. The liver effectively services our bodies to detoxify our blood and store glycogen for energy. As one might imagine, it’s essential to keeping us healthy and strong. Unfortunately, alcohol can greatly impact the duties our liver is instructed to carry out, leading to severe liver complications.

“One of the most damaging consequences of prolonged alcohol abuse is the damage it can cause your liver. Over 157,000 people in the U.S. have needed a liver transplant in the past 20 years, making it the second most common type of surgery.”

Alcohol poisoning kills about six people every day. Cirrhosis-related deaths in the U.S. have increased by 65% from 1999 to 2016, while liver cancer deaths have doubled in the same time frame. Individuals ages 25 to 34 experience an average of 10% more deaths from cirrhosis each year, and binge drinking culture may be to blame.

Short-Term Liver Concerns

The liver can process over 90% of consumed alcohol. However, it is limited in the amount it can process at one time. When an individual has too much to drink, the alcohol left unprocessed by the liver circulates through the bloodstream. The feeling of intoxication is a result of the excess liquor leftover being carried throughout the body.

Health experts agree that a “safe amount” of alcohol may vary from person to person. Depending on their body weight, size, and gender, alcohol may impact everyone differently. Women have been shown to absorb more alcohol than males, so they are more prone to liver damage sooner. Typically, consuming two to three alcoholic drinks daily can harm one’s liver. Binge drinking, on the other hand, encompasses four or five drinks in a row and can also result in liver damage.

The AspenRidge Recovery Center can help. Our well-designed and planned treatment options help people recover quickly. Contact us 24/7 directly at (855) 281-5588.

Long-Term Liver Concerns

Chronic or heavy drinkers face a greater chance of contracting liver diseases. As high as 20% of individuals battling with alcohol use disorder (AUD) develop fatty liver disease. Alcoholic hepatitis, the liver’s degeneration due to inflammation, can morph into cirrhosis and may even be fatal. Common symptoms of liver disease include:

• Yellowish skin and eyes (jaundice)
• Abdominal pain and swelling
• Swelling in the legs and ankles
• Dark urine
• Consistent nausea and vomiting
• Itchy skin
• Discolored stool
• A tendency to bruise easily
• Chronic fatigue
• Fever
• Disorientation
• Weakness
• Loss of appetite
• Pale, blood, or tar-colored stool

Diseases caused by alcohol are entirely avoidable. Similarly, if alcohol misuse is detected or recognized early enough, an individual may reverse long-term damage to the liver. Curious to know how long to abstain from alcohol to repair liver?

How To Repair Liver Damage From Alcohol

If you’re wondering how to repair liver damage from alcohol, the answer may sound obvious. However, quitting alcohol, especially when it’s a regular routine is anything but easy. An estimated 70% of people with alcohol-related liver disease (ARLD) have alcohol dependency problems. That said, individuals with cirrhosis or alcoholic hepatitis will eventually suffer liver failure unless they abstain from drinking.

“Successful treatment for alcohol-related liver disease (ARLD) often depends on whether someone is willing to stop drinking alcohol and make changes to their lifestyle.” — National Health Service.

Alcohol is a toxin, and the liver flushes out toxins in order to protect the body from damage. Over time, this process becomes incredibly taxing for the liver, leading to scarring. The liver, amazingly, has the benefit of being the body’s only regenerative organ. If you lost 75% of your liver, it would still be able to regenerate to its previous size. In its early stages, alcohol liver disease (ALD) can be reversed completely by improving liver health by abstaining from drinking.

Reversing Liver Damage From Alcohol

There are multiple ways to help reverse liver damage from alcohol which include:

• Quit drinking: If you are diagnosed with Alcohol Related Liver Disease (ARLD), it’s imperative that alcohol consumption stops. If alcohol abuse continues, it can lead to alcoholic fatty liver disease, alcohol hepatitis, or cirrhosis.
• Make healthy lifestyle changes: Try to maintain a healthy weight and avoid other toxins like nicotine. Obesity is a leading cause of liver disease next to alcoholism. Cigarettes contain toxins and chemicals that will make liver damage worse.
• Exercise: Being active can help the liver improve the immune system and reduce the risk of high blood pressure and liver cancer.
• Pay attention to medications you take: Medications, even over-the-counter, can be damaging to the liver when taken in excess.
• Avoid unnecessary toxins: Do not take any substances or illicit drugs. Take extra precautions around aerosol sprays, spray paints, and any other form of sprayed chemicals.

How Long to Abstain From Alcohol to Repair Liver?

Healing to your liver can begin as early as a few days to weeks after you stop drinking. However, this is highly dependent on history with alcohol. Factors to consider when trying to identify how long it takes to regenerate your liver to healthy functionality properly include:

• Amount of alcohol consumed weekly
• Diagnosis of ARLD and severity
• Lifestyle and health choices outside of drinking
• Genetics and predisposition related to Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and addiction

Complications of liver disease occur when regeneration is either incomplete or prevented by scar tissue’s progressive development. Unfortunately, once scar tissue develops, it can take longer or be next to impossible to reverse that scarring process. Cirrhosis, for example, indicates a late-stage liver disease that’s often difficult to combat.

How Long For Liver To Recover From Alcohol

Individuals who occasionally binge drink on weekends can usually avoid toxic liver diseases when abstaining from alcohol for two weeks to a full month. Most expert guidelines suggest avoiding drinking alcohol for 30 days to help your liver restore to its normal function. After, it’s imperative to follow moderate drinking guidelines or, even more helpful, to continue abstaining from alcohol use. Severe drinking may require three months to a year to fully regenerate the liver to its original capacity and functionality. 

Over time, the liver can heal itself from damages caused by alcoholic fatty liver disease and hepatitis. Unfortunately, when it comes to the scars of cirrhosis, these damages are irreversible. For this reason, it’s critical to treat alcohol abuse when symptoms of alcohol damage become apparent if not sooner. In some instances, liver transplants may be necessary.

How Can Alcohol Addiction Treatment Help?

Now that we know the liver can do its work in healing, in most non-severe cases, it’s important to understand the measures you should take to make this happen.

Alcohol will not be simple to eliminate, considering that it’s embedded in the marrow of an everyday lifestyle. Even if consumed in small amounts, alcohol is both dangerous and extremely addictive. In severe cases of alcohol consumption, professional intervention may be required.

AspenRidge Recovery provides clients with a comprehensive treatment program that addresses alcohol dependency and helps individuals find the strength to say no despite the life hurdles we often face. Our licensed therapists provide supportive services that seek to identify reasons for alcohol abuse related to mental health care. Our team of experts can also help you build skills and coping mechanisms that promote healthier lifestyles and self-care.

AspenRidge Colorado Rehab Center

AspenRidge’s trained, board-certified therapists, medical staff, and counselors offer counseling and rehab programs for those addicted to alcohol. Our Colorado alcohol addiction treatment programs take on a dual diagnosis approach. We guide clients using evidence- and holistic-based treatment modalities to address alcoholism and the underlying issues that exacerbate it.

Various options include:

• Day Partial Hospitalization (Day Program)
• Day Intensive Outpatient Program
• AspenRidge AspenRidge Virtual Care Online 
• 5-Day IOP for Professionals and Working Adults
• Outpatient Program
• Alumni & Aftercare Program

AspenRidge Recovery center offers treatment for people struggling with drinking problems and alcohol dependence. These people can get help at Colorado alcohol addiction treatment programs. In addition, there are different alcohol treatment options for each individual. If you ever asked yourself why hen I drink, I can’t stop, contact us today at 855-281-5588.