The most affected organ due to alcoholism is the liver.
Liver disease and liver failure is a common cause of death in people who are alcoholics.
The organs that alcohol damages the most are the liver, pancreas, heart, nervous system and the brain.
Heavy drinking takes a toll on the liver, and can lead to a variety of problems and liver inflammations including: Steatosis, or fatty liver.
The signs of liver damage from alcohol include.
Feeling sick.
Weight loss.
A loss of appetite.
Yellowing of the whites of the eyes or skin (jaundice)
Swelling in the ankles and tummy.
Confusion or drowsiness.
Vomiting blood or passing blood in your stools.
Nearly every organ system of your body is affected by alcohol.
For people ages 18 and older, even a serving or two of alcohol per day can increase the risk of certain cancers, and drinking heavily over the years can cause irreversible damage to virtually every organ.
Most of the ethanol or alcohol in the body is broken down in the liver by an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), which transforms ethanol into a toxic compound called acetaldehyde (CH3CHO), a known carcinogen.
The liver is very resilient and capable of regenerating itself.
Each time your liver filters alcohol, some of the liver cells die.
The liver can develop new cells, but prolonged alcohol misuse (drinking too much) over many years can reduce its ability to regenerate.
Healing of the liver can begin as early as a few days to weeks after you stop drinking, but if the damage is severe, healing can take several months. In some cases, “if the damage to the liver has been long-term, it may not be reversible.
Having 2 to 3 alcoholic drinks every day or binge drinking can harm your liver.
Binge drinking is when you drink more than 4 or 5 drinks in a row.
If you already have a liver disease, you should stop drinking alcohol.
There is no safe amount of alcohol for people with any type of alcoholic liver disease.
To detox your liver from alcohol.
Drink more water. Drinking enough fluid every day is essential to a person's overall health.
Reduce sodium intake.
Make dietary changes.
On average, it takes about 60-90 minutes for alcohol to reach peak levels in your blood after you start drinking.
In about 4-5 hours, your body gets rid of about half the alcohol in your system.
It takes about 25 hours for the body to get rid of all of it.
Allowing the liver enough time to metabolize the alcohol is the only way to remove alcohol from the body.
A cold shower, fresh air, exercise, or black coffee will not help sober a person up.
Time is the only thing that will remove alcohol from the system (about an hour per standard drink).