If you have cirrhosis of the liver, quitting drinking is the most important thing you can do to increase your lifespan. Research suggests that a person with cirrhosis who quits drinking has a 72% chance of living for at least seven years after diagnosis, while someone who continues to drink has only a 44% chance. Quitting alcohol, losing weight, and adopting a healthy lifestyle are the best things you can do while living with cirrhosis of the liver. If your condition progresses, talk with your healthcare provider about the possibility of a liver transplant. The present study updates the systematic reviews and meta-analyses described above8 by including studies published up to July 2021 to investigate whether the risk differed for subgroups. The strong physiological needs of the body may make it difficult for an individual to resist drinking.
- The strong physiological needs of the body may make it difficult for an individual to resist drinking.
- It is possible to live for many years with cirrhosis of the liver, but life expectancy depends on the stage of the condition and the treatment you receive.
- If you have risk factors for cirrhosis of the liver, it’s important to see a healthcare provider regularly so the condition can be diagnosed early.
In addition, studies suggest that moderate drinking (as discussed below) may be linked with a lower risk of:
At this point, you may have alcohol cravings or drink to avoid the low feelings withdrawal causes rather than for the pleasurable feelings alcohol consumption may offer. Alcohol use can cause sexual dysfunction, such as difficulty achieving or maintaining an erection and decreased sexual sensations. The impact alcohol has on the reproductive system extends beyond these temporary effects. Chronic alcohol use causes hormone imbalances in both men and women and leads to problems with fertility.
How to Cope with End-Stage Alcoholism
The alcoholic life expectancy can sound scary and morbid, but you can get help. Some of these problems and conditions are treatable or reversible, but the key is to stop drinking sooner rather than later and Agape Treatment Center can help. Having hepatitis C or other liver diseases with heavy alcohol use can rapidly increase the development of cirrhosis.
- Alcohol use disorder is a progressive disease that includes a beginning, middle, and end stage, which can result in life-threatening health conditions.
- It also underscores the importance of considering an individual’s unique genetic makeup when assessing their risk for developing AUD and related health conditions that can influence life expectancy.
- If you or a loved one struggles with alcohol use and cannot cut back on drinking, there may be a danger of alcoholism.
- Those signs include slurring words, loss of balance and poor physical coordination.
- People in the early stage of cirrhosis of the liver often do not have any symptoms.
The Danger in Drug Use – How Even ‘Casual’ Drug & Alcohol Use Can Lower Your Life Expectancy
By Buddy TBuddy T is an anonymous writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. If your condition is caused by viral hepatitis, antiviral medication can prevent additional damage to your liver. Cirrhosis of the liver occurs when healthy liver tissue is replaced by scar tissue.
A detailed UK Biobank study utilized log-logistic regression models to assess alcohol’s life expectancy of an alcoholic impact on health, indicating a dose-response relationship with various medical conditions. Meanwhile, a comprehensive meta-analysis found no significant protective associations of moderate drinking with all-cause mortality and revealed an increased risk for higher consumption levels. An individual with an addiction to alcohol will move through the stages of the disease as they continue to drink and drink larger quantities.
What Are The Stages Of Alcoholism?
Although 90% of people who drink heavily develop fatty liver disease, only 20% to 40% will go on to develop alcoholic hepatitis. Early damage to the liver causes fat to deposit onto the liver, resulting in hepatic steatosis, or alcoholic fatty liver disease. Fatty liver disease often has no symptoms and can usually be reversed. As the statistics showed above, quitting cigarettes or getting treatment for heroin can literally save your life and add decades back onto the life expectancy data. You can choose to make a positive change, instead of resigning yourself to your limited time. For nearly any drug or alcohol addict, the first step in getting treatment is to go through drug or alcohol detox.
The prognosis for someone diagnosed with cirrhosis depends on whether and how much fibrosis and inflammation are present. If the individual stops drinking and there is no fibrosis present, the fatty liver and inflammation can be reversed. Health conditions caused by end stage alcoholism can include fatigue, malnutrition, jaundice, heart failure, anemia, alcohol dementia, and cirrhosis. When the liver can no longer metabolize the alcohol quickly enough, it will send it back into the bloodstream. Alcohol contributes to approximately 88,000 deaths annually in the US, making it the third leading preventable cause of death. When an individual reaches this stage, drinking has taken over their lives and has impacted their daily functioning, including work, finances, and relationships.
Over time, the liver of a person who drinks heavily can become damaged and cause alcoholic liver disease. End-stage alcoholism typically presents a number of health complications. The liver gains fats and inflammation, eventually leading to liver scarring. Alcohol consumption irritates the lining of the stomach and intestines. A night of drinking can cause uncomfortable symptoms like diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.
Statistical analysis
After stopping drinking, which is the first step in any treatment of ALD, an assessment will be made as to the extent of the damage and the overall state of the body. Treatment also consists of evaluation for other risk factors that can damage the liver or put the liver at higher risk, such as infection with hepatitis C and metabolic syndrome. Some may experience mild pain in the upper right side of the abdomen. Though rare, liver cancer can develop from the damage that occurs with cirrhosis.