The liver serves as a filter, cleaning the blood and removing harmful substances. This organ also aids digestion, stores energy, and prevents infections by producing helpful enzymes, proteins, and hormones. When consumed in excess, alcohol can harm your liver. Since it’s essential to your well-being, keep it healthy by getting regular liver cleanses and avoiding alcohol. Here’s how this intoxicating substance can harm one of the most important organs in the body.

4 Ways Alcohol May Harm Your Liver

1. Increased Risk

The liver processes the majority of the alcohol you drink. The more you drink, the harder your liver has to work, and the more likely you are to get liver disease. Although it typically takes the liver about one hour to process an alcoholic drink, that time increases as your blood alcohol level go up, causing intoxication. Although definitions of excessive drinking vary, most doctors agree that anything more than two drinks a day increases your risk of liver problems.

2. Fatty Liver Disease

Drinking large amounts of alcohol over time can cause fatty liver disease. This illness refers to a buildup of fat in the liver due to a collection of toxins from alcohol. Usually, there aren’t any symptoms, but it can cause fatigue or pain in the abdomen. The condition is reversible with abstaining from alcohol and alleviated by getting a liver cleanse or detox.

3. Alcoholic Hepatitis

This condition indicates an inflammation of the liver tissue. Alcoholic hepatitis usually occurs when large quantities of alcohol are consumed over an extended period. To avoid this condition, stay away from alcohol, and take care of yourself by consuming a healthy diet, drinking plenty of water, and getting a liver cleanse.

4. Cirrhosis

Ongoing heavy drinking can lead to cirrhosis of the liver, which happens when healthy tissue is replaced by scar tissue. This is a permanent condition, and it often leads to fatal complications, such as liver failure and kidney disease. In some cases, medication and not drinking can stabilize the liver and slow damage; however, patients with cirrhosis-driven liver failure need a transplant.

If you want to improve your overall wellness, the experts at M.O. Wellness Center in Waialua, HI, can help. Since 2011, JoDana P. Newman and her certified team have helped clients across Oahu eliminate toxins from their bodies, offering gallbladder and liver cleanses. Call (808) 636-9004 to schedule an appointment at their private, relaxing facility, or learn more about their services online.