As a nurse, I will tell you that individual responses vary a great deal and all livers are not created equal. I sent a woman to hospice after what she and her family reported as only 4 years of heavy drinking-- they might not be a very reliable source, but she was only 32 years old, so likely hadn't been drinking for more than 20 years, max. My husband developed pancreatitis after a year of drinking heavily. On the flip side, I've also seen long-time alcoholics in their seventies and eighties with relatively few cognitive or physical effects: liver enzymes fine, etc. You never know what will happen with their bodies-- yet another unfortunate uncertainty of living with an alcoholic. Encourage a trip to the family doctor for blood work, and good luck-- I'm a newcomer here too, and find it very helpful.