Alcoholic liver disease: Take this many hours off drinking a week to slash your risk
Liver disease that’s been caused by excess alcohol intake has several stages of severity.
There are three main stages - alcoholic fatty liver disease, alcoholic hepatitis, and cirrhosis.
Alcoholic fatty liver disease is caused by drinking a large amount of alcohol, even for a few days, and the build-up of fats in the liver.
Alcoholic hepatitis is caused by alcohol misuse over a longer period of time, and cirrhosis is where the liver has become significantly scarred. If the person doesn’t stop drinking at this stage, they have a less than 50 per cent chance of living for at least five more years.
If you are healthy, eat a balanced diet and take regular exercise, sensible drinking should not cause liver problems.