Liver anxiety

[Dgrptr]

I am a 26 year old male and I have been drinking approx 2-3 beers
A day for the past few years. I have Health anxiety and I am beginning
To worry about my liver . Wanted to know what peoples input are on this?

[nomorepanic]

The best thing to do is get the doc to do an LFT blood test and this will be able to tell you if you have done any damage to your liver.

Also you need to look at ways to cut down on the alcohol as well

[AnnieMags]

You don't say how big the bottles are, I am assuming the usual 330 ml bottles or cans. It is not a huge quantity, somewhere between 2.4 and 4 units of alcohol a day (or up to 6 units if each of your beers is a pint glass) The problem might be more to do with drinking every day and not giving your liver any "time off". Here in the UK the advice is to have at least two to three alcohol-free days a week and drink in moderation the other days. If you are beginning to worry about your alcohol consumption, it might be time to try to reduce it. If you are worried about having already damaged your liver, I would think that is extremely unlikely. You are very young, your alcohol consumption has not been extreme and in any case, the liver has an extraordinary ability to regenerate. To put your mind at rest, it might be an idea to ask your doctor for a liver function test and I am sure you will be reassured that all is well. Best wishes from Annie

[southey]

I wouldn't be too concerned at the moment as your still young but also glad to hear your thinking of your health.

Cutting down would be a good idea to maybe every other night to start?

The liver is an amazing organ and can take massive abuse and can even repair itself.

It would be unusual to have damaged your liver at your age with the amount you say you drink but as the damaging affects of alcohol are cumulative it's worth thinking about the future as boy do those years and beers fly by!

Steve

[Dgrptr]

Thank you all for your insight. The problem is that I fear
That since I already have bad anxiety I worry about having
Bad etoh withdrawals. I always assume the worst(eg seizures).
I am on a daily ssri and 0.5mg Ativan daily
For the past month.
That might add some
More info for suggestions , insights, calming me....

[Jules147]

You are not physically dependent on alcohol so are not at risk from seizures.

Assuming each beer is 2 units and you drink three beers per day, that makes 6 units which takes approximately 7 hours to eliminate from your bloodstream (1 for each unit + 1 for absorption). Add on a couple of hours to drink them. That is 9 hours out of 24 when you are under the influence leaving 15 hours when you are stone-cold sober.

Your weekly intake is 42 units and this places you in the yellow zone. Green is 21 units and below and red is 50 units and above.

Long term you should aim to reduce your intake but there is little reason, given your age and what is only moderately excessive consumption to think that your liver has been damaged. Even if your LFT tests are a little on the high side, a few weeks off the booze and they will return to normal.

For 15 years I was consuming 60 + units a week. My doctor told me off, my liver function was tested and it was just above the statistical normal range but well within the clinical normal range. For the last 6 years my consumption has been under half that at just below 30. My liver is tested annually and is fine. I did not suffer any ill effects when I cut down.

[Dgrptr]

Thank you Jules that was very comforting

[waunder]

Just want to wish you good luck and what wonderful help you have on here.

[Dgrptr]

What do the different zones mean? Where are you getting this info?

[Jules147]

It was on a chart on the wall in my surgery. The maximum recommended daily or weekly limits vary from country to country simply because all the figures are arbitrary and have been plucked from thin air, in part because governments are concerned with the social impact of alcohol consumption as well as purely the health risks. The figures should be based on research showing the crossover point in consumption where the health benefits begin to be outweighed by the risks.

Research shows that for men this is at around 4 units per day. One UK unit = 8g or 10 ml of pure alcohol.

Looking at the chart, 4 units = a risk of 1, i.e. the same as consuming no alcohol. Your intake at 6 is 1.1 - hardly a significantly elevated risk. I have a PDF file with this information. If you want a copy, send me a private message with your email address - I can't find the link.