Cirrhosis years after stopping drinking?

[OJ91]

This is a bit of a hypothetical one.

I used to be a very heavy drinker for about ten years off-and-on until I stopped cold turkey eight years ago aged 29. Haven't touched a drop since. I have regular LFTs for an unrelated health complaint and they're usually all fine. My ALT can be high sometimes — up to 80 or so — but last time it was 27, and my doctor tells me all sorts of things can elevate it and not to worry. My BMI is 24ish and I have a healthy, albeit far from perfect, diet.

I have not, and have never had, any liver-related symptoms at all and I have no reason to suspect I have liver disease (other than my own paranoia).

'So what are you doing here?' I hear you say. Well, I've fallen down a Google rabbit hole and I've convinced myself I did some lasting damage during my drinking years. Was anyone here diagnosed after a long period of abstinence? Is it possible for cirrhosis to lie dormant for years without any exacerbating factor (alcohol, obesity etc.)

[Grassroots112]

Hi there and wow, well done on staying booze free for so long, that’s amazing it really is. I can’t answer your question about getting cirrhosis in the future even with your healthy lifestyle, all I do know is that booze and a poor diet and lack of exercise all act as toxic agents attacking the liver and of course other organs so if one continued drinking heavily, eating poorly and not getting good regular exercise it stands to reason the liver and the body itself would suffer eventually to some degree or another.

Some don't get cirrhosis, some do. Some end up with some form of liver disease, some don’t.

Your now brilliant healthy lifestyle will have surely had a huge positive impact on your liver over the years to the point now, even if it was at all damaged prior to that, it will have healed and remodelled itself significantly enough where today, right now, I’m sure you will have nothing to worry about now or in the future so long as you maintain such a healthy lifestyle.

That’s said, health anxiety is real and if you are at all concerned, it’s always best to speak to a doctor if you can about any concerns you have, real or hypothetical.

You have done what some of us never did, or couldn't until it was too late or some damage was already done, however, and that was heed the warning signs of heavy drinking at a point where it could tip you over.

You should be really proud of yourself for doing so and please know by sharing that you quit drinking and have remained booze free for so long will encourage others reading, myself included, who writes as a retired alcoholic sober for just over a year and a half now who did damage his liver which is still in the process of healing from the damage my drinking did to it and my other organs and my body itself. Thankfully I’m well on the way to achieving that, I hope!

I just wish I needed the warnings much earlier than I eventually did and acted like you have done, but it’s never too late to act.

Take care and good luck.

[OJ91 in reply to Grassroots112]

Thank you for the kind words.

Stopping drinking is one of the greatest achievements of my life, and I'm so glad I stopped when I did. I don't miss it one iota. By contrast, I quit smoking 11 years ago and I still miss that from time to time!

I hadn't considered that my story might help others to kick the booze, but if it does then great!

The hardest bit for me was choosing to quit, but once I'd made that decision the rest was easy. I would try and rein in my drinking to the recommend 14 units, and I'd succeed for a bit. But it would always creep up and up to the point where it was a problem.

I told myself, "If you can't stick to 14 units a week, you can pack it in entirely." The latter was the more attractive option because, not only is it easier to not continuously be monitoring your own drinking, but I drank to feel drunk, and I simply couldn't do that on a measly 14 units. So the booze had to go.

I'd implore anyone thinking of quitting to just do it. You won't miss it, I promise you. We romanticise drink, but it doesn't add anything to your life, it only takes.

A life without booze is freer, less complicated and ultimately more fulfilling.

Good luck on your journey, Grassroots112. A year and a half is a huge achievement and I wish you well in your continued recovery. It sounds like you're making great progress, so keep at it!

[Readlots]

oh no! Not a Google rabbit hole! We’ve all fallen down one of those. There are lots of illnesses and medications that can affect your liver, not necessarily related to drinking. Livers are remarkably resilient organs which can regenerate so damage 20 years ago, I would have thought would have repaired itself. And whatever is affecting yours now could resolve itself in a month or two or three. It’s good that your doctor is keeping an eye on it. Even if you did have a problem they’d pick it up early and do something about it. You already know that Dr Google is not your best friend.

[Corin1950]

Firstly well done for giving up the booze and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. If your LFTs are in the normal range and you have no symptoms I’d say as a completely non professional that you must be ok. The liver can regenerate when it isn’t under stress from alcohol, saturated fat and sugar. Please don’t worry as anxiety can cause other problems. Instead maybe make your diet a bit healthier by adding plenty of veg, fruits, whole grains and nuts and seeds and up your exercise and time spent outdoors which will help you feel better and go some way to preventing other nasty diseases like diabetes, heart disease etc. Enjoy and make the most of each day. I wish you all the best.

[FarahS]

love ur msg well done. Stay away from google!