Thomasthetank

Fellow googlers will probably know how hard it is to get any decent statistics on liver disease. This is about the best I've come across.

The Epidemiology of Alcoholic Liver Disease

If you're interested. I don't really know why I am. I think it's seeing how close I came/lucky I am, like remembering escaping a car crash without a scratch.

Tom.

sprout50

Wow. Scarey and informative.

Popeye2014

Thanks Thomas, That's a good link. More reading for me though.

Winterkat

Thanks for sharing. Terrifying, but eye opening.

anattaboy

Yes, pages like these and liver disease forums were all I read 2 months prior to quitting. I was sure I was dying from the symptoms I was having and am sure it helped me with some real fear. Turns out sickly symptoms abated shortly after quitting and tests showed normal liver 2 months later. I too came close. I've seen it firsthand and do not want to go that way.

HappyBlue

No offense Thomas but stuff like this only makes me more anxious when I see it. Even though I had normal labs the pessimist in me gets anxious as hell when I read such stuff. I've been doing my best to leave Google alone when I have these thoughts.

SoberLeigh

Thanks, thomas; very informative and frightening.

Thomasthetank

Sorry Trogdor. For me it's the opposite. I like having numbers, data I can cling on to. I wasn't trying to make anyone more anxious.

HappyBlue

No big deal. I've just been trying not to dwell on such things so much as I was a wreck thinking about it for a few weeks when I first got sober. I found it doesn't do me any good to ruminate over it.

Soberwolf

If in doubt always check with a real doctor Thomas and let them run some tests

The liver will repair itself in time if we treat it right ie no drinking and a nice healthy balanced diet

Book a doc apt

Thomasthetank

I'm not posting this as an alternative to going to the doctor, I wouldn't recommend anyone to do that. If you're an alcoholic, you need to get your liver function tested. I just find it interesting and it puts into perspective what an amazing second chance I've gotten.

I had a feeling this would split the room, so to speak.

anattaboy

It's simple cause and effect. Real physical consequences from heavy drinking. This kind of info resonated with me as I am more fact based in my thinking and this is just the push I needed to make the choice before I was unable. Kinda like the truth commercials for smoking.

strategery

You have to be careful though with those numbers knowing which populations where assessed, who the results generalize to, and so on. While these are population level statistics, individuals do tend to vary. I am not always sure how much credence I put into some of the studies since if I was asked how much alcohol I had been drinking and was involved in a study, I'm not sure I'd be honest about it, which is one of the issues in doing research in this area.

It is an interesting article and I appreciate you sharing it.

happyandfree

For me, I like having the information. I never had any liver disease, but if I resumed drinking I could be at risk. I think it's good to educate ourselves and the possibility of developing liver disease is another reason to stay sober.

ScottFromWI

I don't think its'a secret that heavy drinking is bad for your liver. Certainly a very thorough analysis, but for me there's more convincing evidence in real life. People die each and every day from alcohol in various forms - liver failure, car accidents, other health relatied concerns, suicide, etc.

Thomasthetank

Yeah. In some instances i'm not even sure it's a question of honesty, it can be pretty hard to keep track of your drinking... because you're drunk!

The thresh hold for cirrhosis according to this research is apparently an average of about 8 pints a day at a rate of 15% over 8 years. I think the alcohol consumption is a little more than that based on honesty factors (as well as plain old denial), it would also likely be a little more for men and less for woman. As woman's livers process alcohol more slowly.

So yeah, it's a rough guide, but considerably more useful than most of the stuff out there.

PurpleKnight

A good reminder that alcohol can be a serious business!!