Liver Disease Alcoholic

I am an alcoholic and have made the decision to quit. After three days of being sober, I am having a pain near my liver.Do you have any answers for me?
(18 Mar 2009)

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Alcohol is absorbed into the blood stream from the intestines and the stomach. The blood in the intestines and the stomach is first directed towards the liver and then circulated throughout the body. This means that the most amount of alcohol is present in the blood that is flowing through your liver.

The liver contains a natural chemical known as an enzyme. These enzymes help in metabolizing or processing the alcohol in one’s body. The enzymes dissolve the alcohol into other chemicals that are then eventually dissolved into carbon dioxide and water.

Once it is broken down into carbon dioxide and water it is then transported out of the body through the medium of urine. The enzymes present in the liver can only break down a certain amount of alcohol per hour. Hence if you consume alcohol faster than your liver can break it down, the alcohol level starts to rise in your blood stream. If there is constant pressure on the liver to break down alcohol it can lead to complications and the slow degeneration of your liver.

The constant consumption of alcohol over a period of time can have the following effects. The first is an excessive accumulation of fat cells in your liver. This condition is not serious and can be reversed by cutting down the amount of alcohol that you consume; however if you ignore the development of fat cells in your liver then it can turn serious and eventually lead to hepatitis. Alcoholic hepatitis causes an inflammation of the liver and can range from mild to severe inflammation. If the hepatitis gets severe it can tend to cause disorders like jaundice, a sickly feeling in the abdomen and also pain in the liver. It is very important to find out if you have alcoholic hepatitis because, as the disorder gets worse it can lead to liver failure which can be fatal in some cases. Alcoholic cirrhosis causes the formation or scar tissue or fibrosis in the place of normal liver tissue. As the level of scar tissue increase it disrupts the normal growth of liver cells and eventually causes the degeneration of healthy liver cells. The scar tissue that is caused can also disrupt the normal flow of blood through the liver. It is hard to determine the exact cause of the pain you are experiencing. However the best way to find out is to consult a doctor who will be able to determine the exact cause and also suggest the proper treatment required.

answered by M W on 18 Mar 2009, 4:13:54

Liver Disease Alcoholic

I am an alcoholic and have made the decision to quit. After three days of being sober, I am having a pain near my liver.Do you have any answers for me? (18 Mar 2009)

I am an alcoholic and have made the decision to quit. After three days of being sober, I am having a pain near my liver.Do you have any answers for me?
(18 Mar 2009)