I saw a thread earlier about the effects of drinking alcohol over 15 years. The thread’s now gone.
I drank for this sort of timescale and certainly advise against it. The UK limit of 14 units a week was put in place to reduce the occurrence of certain cancers. Anyone exceeding 14 units a week has a much higher risk of throat or bowel cancer.
I developed a fatty liver from drinking for years along with a few other health problems all of which were reversed when I quit drinking. I too enquired about being able to drink in moderation one day, but anyone asking such questions is likely to be alcohol dependent and has only one option, to stop.
I can’t answer the question if drinking for 15 years is safe as it’s a genetics lottery. I dodged a bullet by stopping, but as I said if you have to ask, you’ve probably got a drinking problem, so the answer is to stop.
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I deleted the question because I got too many responses that did not answer my question, and one that was downright rude.
I am happy to hear your fatty liver has fully recovered. To clarify, I was in no way dependent on alcohol, and could quit for weeks at a time with no problems at all. I reduced my intake drastically a few years back (also with no problems at all). What I was asking was in regards to the likelihood that such drinking patterns would result in any fibrosis (i.e. for what %age of people without other risk factors). I realize that it's a hard question to answer and few would have that answer.
If I may ask, how much (and for how long) did you drink when you found out you had fatty liver?
I’d cut right down (to around the equivalent of 15 pints a week ironically) and was exercising a lot. I was by that time at a normal weight and quite fit. I had an ultrasound overseas which detected the fatty liver. So despite being quite athletic, at a normal weight and eating healthily, the alcohol intake still meant my liver was fatty. That should tell anyone that that quantity of alcohol is way too much.
I was going to quit anyway so that time seemed right. Eight months later I went for a private fibroscan. All was good and - here’s the bombshell - all of the fat had gone. All I’d done was cut the alcohol.
If someone is healthy, can keep to below 14 units a week and take 3 days off alcohol a week, I can’t see how anyone can have an issue with that. Despite having not drunk for nearly two years, I’ll also be alcohol dependent. If I drink, it’s a dead cert (unfortunate pun) that I’ll be drinking heavily again within a week or two.
I’m quite sure other people with my sort of drinking history will have suffered permanent liver damage. As I said, genetic lottery.
Difficult to put a figure on it. I’m a bit wary of answering as others might read I drank X beers a day for Y years and think they’ll be OK too.
I’ll say I drank excessively for over 15 years and am pretty sure others weren’t so lucky. My fibroscan was OK, but it was 7KPa which is right at the top of normal. Maybe if I’d drank for another year or so, I’d have suffered permanent damage. I think the message has to be excessive drinking isn’t worth the risk to life and that anyone with a drink problem has to stop.
Sounds like you found out just in the nick of time. I'm happy to hear that. Now that I think about it, I don't think I quite drank 15 pints for 15 years. It was more like 10 years during which I drank that much. During the other 5 years, it would have been more like 10 pints per week. But for the past 4 years, it has been more like 5-8, decreasing with each passing year. This year, I've hardly drank at all, largely due to social distancing and lack of social events.
I had a fibroscan done recently and 1 of my 10 points displayed 7KPa. However the median of the 10 points was 5.3KPa. Should I still be worried? I drank a lot during this year but finally reduced it significantly now.
Its a valid question JJ, but I guess everyone has said we're all different.
If it helps, i had the same question. I was diagnosed mild fatty liver in Jan. I've drunk for 22 years, some times light, sometimes heavy. Last two years certainly 50,60,70 units in a week sometimes, others much less... I didn't think I was alcohol dependant, but clearly was.
A couple of glasses of wine after work, but then Thursday to Sunday "its OK,....." so a bottle then a gin, quickly adds up.
However, I panicked after some odd moments last November when i had back pain and finally got an ultrasound found mild fatty liver.. the doc said "we see that a lot - cut down a bit !" but my back/flank pain has carried on..to this day.
I first cut down to a lower levels in December, but still had a two of months at 140 units in a month. Jan dry, and finally I quit at end of August as my flank pain is still here. I've had CT, MRI and finally Fibroscan 3.0Kpa, and bloods that are all fine. But I still have flank pain that the doc has said is muscular...
Im left in a mental mess, 45 days alcohol free, I don't know if I'm ill ! I have the pain, and have Diareah four/five times a month, light stools are declining, nausea most days...
Wife shouts at me when i want to discuss it as she says i'm being paranoid - GP has said go away its muscular, I'm left really alone trying to figure out myself what's wrong, and the best conclusion I've come to is stop drinking to be sure.
Some days I really feel I'm improving then like today, terrible stools and i think I'm not improving.
I am though sure in myself its alcohol, and less or non is certainly a better thing to do.
Sounds like you’re doing really well. You’ve acknowledged you had a problem and have a great fibroscan score.
I had aches and pains for 8 months after I quit. The doc just said it could be muscular or a fatty liver. He wasn’t concerned. I then had a fibroscan and the pains pretty much vanished. Some of it must’ve been psychological.
Give it a few more months. Your body will get used to the healthier you, so well done,
thanks coco...reassuring words, cheers. It's stupid..all the tests are good and indicate good things..but as there is this constant pain it drags me back to googling anything on the planet that they have missed.
I need to adjust my expectations.. a month and half aint going to fix 20 years is it...
👍🙂 A few months longer would be better, and I guess your body has to get used to healthier fuel inside it. Again, give yourself huge credit for quitting. It’s one of the hardest things I’ve done (and one of the best).
I get nervous when people ask if they can continue drinking. Alcohol shouldn’t be a big part of anyone’s life. If someone drinks every day, that’s too much. If someone feels like they need alcohol to relax or sleep, they have a problem. People who genuinely drink sensibly wouldn’t bat an eyelid if they were deprived of alcohol. They can take it or leave it.
But those of us who drank for years, we don’t have that choice. We must steer clear.
Glad to hear that your problem is minor, and that you are on the road to recovery.
It sounds like your doctor and wife are both brushing off your concerns. Perhaps go to a private doctor to get a second opinion? I don't live in the UK, so I don't know how easy or cost-effective this option would be.
You are right that everyone is different. I do know that some people can drink alcoholically for 30+ years and never have liver problems, where others have liver problems much sooner, and that it is "luck of the draw". I do know that there are studies out there that correlate alcohol quantity and duration with likelihood of liver disease, controlling for co-morbid factors. I can't find any of those studies, but when I asked the question, I was asking in case others did know. Never hurts to ask. I deleted the question because I got some very rude responses, and I just don't understand that. This is a support forum, so I think it's pretty despicable to be on here shaming people.
If I may ask, how much did you drink during the 20 years prior to the 2 years when you were drinking 50-70 units per week? And how was your diet and weight during those times? And lastly, how were your bloods? You mentioned fibroscan and CT scan, but you didn't mention a blood test.
I feel like I am having a similar experience. I am sorry that you feel alone in this confusion. I too am not receiving the support I need from my family as I try to figure this out.
It often takes an addict to understand an addict. I’m sure even my GP didn’t understand, but she was glad I told her, and she still asks me every time if I’m still drinking.
Talk to your family by all means, but bear in mind they might not get it. Talk to your GP or a support group. It’s not a taboo subject at all. By talking to my GP about my drinking, I kicked off my recovery - as that’s what it is - and nearly two years on I haven’t drank any alcohol. The benefits of stopping are even more shocking than the effects of alcohol. Amazing things happen that you wouldn’t believe. I’m still pinching myself.
By the way, JJ. It’s a shame you deleted your earlier post although I appreciate the reasons why, The admins of site have made it clear that posts such as yours about alcohol are very welcome here.
Many many people out there will be asking exactly the same questions as you. I made the point that anyone who’s ever been alcohol dependent can’t be a moderate drinker ever again. I only found out this fact from Internet forums. Is it written down anywhere on any NHS website? (No). Nor did my GP tell me. It’s only because other people felt free enough to ask the question without being shouted down that I found out the answer.
Thanks for the reassurance. I know that it is hard to come up with a random statistic, but studies do exist, and it never hurts to ask. Worst case scenario, I get no replies because nobody knows. At least this is what I thought.
Instead, I get responses lecturing me for drinking and saying "statistics don't matter when it happens to you, and you need to quit". I'm like "NO SH*T". Such responses are not helpful. This is meant to be a support website, and condescending people are toxic to that goal.
I agree with you that those who are dependent on alcohol can never be moderate drinkers. It's either all or nothing. I've known alcoholics who have had to give it up completely. Between 2014 and 2019, I've been reducing my drinking, and now I drink about half as much as I used to (if that). I've had no withdrawal symptoms, no cravings, nothing. Never felt the need or desire to drink more - not even at first.
Post away. There is a contingent on here who live in a bubble where alcohol doesn’t exist it seems. It’s not going away and efforts would be better spent on preventing excessive drinking and trying to educate problem drinkers.
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