Alcohol -related liver disease (ARLD) is very common in the UK, with more and more people suffering from it in recent years.
Symptoms usually only appear once the organ is badly damaged, but there are still some signs to watch out for - with perhaps the most noticeable being blood in your stools.
Monika Wassermann, medical director at Olio Lusso , outlines how excessive drinking can really harm the body.
She said: "Consuming too much alcohol can cause tearing of some liver tissues, which are secreted as bloody traces in your stool.
“Excessive drinking over time impairs normal functioning and structure of the liver. Alcohol can cause liver damage by weakening the blood vessels, especially the veins in the gut tract.
“This weakens and inflames the blood vessels and makes them extra sensitive, heightening the risk of internal bleeding characterised by blood in your poop or stool".
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According to the NHS, other warning signs of ARLD include:
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Weight loss
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Feeling sick
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Loss of appetite
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Yellowing of the eyes and skin (jaundice)
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Swelling in the tummy and ankles
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Vomiting blood or passing blood in your stools.
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Confusion or drowsiness
The health body advises anyone that regularly drinks too much alcohol to get their liver checked out.
What causes alcohol-related liver disease?
The liver is a complicated organ responsible for regulating cholesterol and blood sugar, filtering out toxins, aiding digestion and helping to ward off infection.
Some of the liver’s cells die each time it’s made to filter out alcohol.
The resilient organ can regenerate itself, but drinking to excess can lower this ability - resulting in serious and permanent damage to your liver, says the NHS.
How can I prevent alcohol-related liver disease?
The condition is triggered by alcohol, so the best way to avoid it is to stop drinking.
However, most of us enjoy a drink, so it is perhaps a more realistic goal to rigidly stick to recommended guidelines.
Both men and women are advised not to regularly drink more than 14 units of alcohol each week.
This is the equivalent of six pints of average-strength beer or ten small glasses of low-strength wine.
Drink should be spread over three days or more if you drink as much as 14 units.
“Even if you have been a heavy drinker for many years, reducing or stopping your alcohol intake will have important short- and long-term benefits for your liver and overall health,” the NHS adds.
