Over the long-term, drinking too much can lead to lead to three stages of Alcohol Related Liver Disease (ARLD):

• fatty liver
• hepatitis (inflammation of the liver)
• cirrhosis (scarring that can lead to liver failure and increased risk of liver cancer ) 

In the UK around 7,700 people die each year due to alcohol-related liver disease, who are mostly between 40 and 65 years old.

Fatty liver disease rarely causes any symptoms, but it's an important warning sign that you're drinking at a harmful level.

About a third of people with fatty liver will develop alcoholic hepatitis. When this develops, it may be the first time a person is aware they're damaging their liver through alcohol. 

Mild hepatitis may not cause any symptoms; more severe cases tend to cause symptoms such as: 

• loss of appetite, 
• vomiting, 
• abdominal pain 
• and jaundice (yellowing of the skin). 

The liver damage associated with mild alcoholic hepatitis is usually reversible if you stop drinking permanently. Severe alcoholic hepatitis, however, is a serious and life-threatening illness.

Normally when the liver is damaged it can regenerate itself. In cirrhosis, the process of healing fails and scar tissue develops, preventing the liver from being able to carry out its normal functions. Symptoms include:

• general ill health
• flatulence
• lack of appetite
• sallow skin
• jaundice
• itching
• anaemia
• vomiting of blood
• lower back pain
• abdominal swelling

There is no cure for cirrhosis – if you have alcohol-related cirrhosis and do not stop drinking you have a less than 50% chance of living for at least 5 more years. However, sufferers who stop drinking completely have a much stronger chance of survival. 

People suffering with alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver are at a higher risk of developing liver cancer which is fatal in about six months. 

It is not clear why cirrhosis has this impact but it is thought that as the scar tissue grows, the liver attempts to heal itself by creating new cells. The more cells the liver creates, the higher the chances that a mutation, will take place – resulting in cancerous tumours. It could also be related to the extent of the damage the liver has already endured in reaching alcoholic cirrhosis. 

It is possible that you may be damaging your liver without being aware of it. Check your drinking with our Alcohol Test and see what support is available locally should you need it.