Writing and Medicine

now, we’ve all heard of how alcohol usually damages the liver. Still, a question that has undoubtedly popped up in my mind and the minds of others is: if the liver can regenerate itself, how does alcohol do permanent damage to it? I’ve always wondered and I’m sure you guys have to so now we’ll be looking into how it damages the usually repairable organ.

the liver’s job is relatively difficult compared to the rest of the body, it filters/cleans the blood, removing toxins and waste that eventually leave the body through urine and faeces so despite us hearing that kidneys do all the filtering, livers do as good of a job as them and not only that but our livers have small lobes that connect with many bile ducts that transport bile from the liver to the small intestine (bile helps with digestion by breaking down fats).

no matter how much alcohol you take in, there is of course only so much you can process. not only is alcohol directly toxic to the liver but the byproducts of alcohol metabolism are just as much to blame. they create a chemical called acetaldehyde, acetaldehyde causes:

• your face to feel flushed while drinking alcohol
• is apart of what makes you feel unwell or hungover after repairing alcohol
• damages your DNA and doesn’t allow your body to repair the damage which is why at least SIX cancers are linked to alcohol consumption.

the thing about our liver is there may be many things that damage our liver yet go unnoticed due to our liver’s unmatched ability to regenerate but once our DNA get’s damaged and it loses that ability, not only will the alcohol absolutely destroy your liver but others can cause a risk and the only reason most die with a liver is because it keeps regenerating. if it ever stops, humans would die because unlike a spleen, we only have one liver and we can’t afford to live without it.

so, please, if you know anyone with excessive alcohol consumption, encourage them to stop as soon as possible and encourage them to take care of their health. the first few weeks may be hard due to withdrawal but in the long run, it’s what’s best for their health.

-anonymous writer

https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/What-Alcohol-Does-to-the-Liver