Hi Amies, sorry you are having to deal with this and from such a distance, I'm sure it must be very difficult. I think everyone is different, some people drink heavy for 40-50+ years and don't go into liver failure, I had a sister-in-law in her early 30s that went into liver failure and none of us even knew she was a heavy drinker, you just never know. I was near liver failure in 2007 due to a prescription drug overdose. The drugs contained acetiminophen which burned a hole in my liver, acetiminophen/tylenol can cause liver damage even in moderate drinkers. I hope your brother pulls through.