The liver is a very important and precious organ.

The liver is one of the body’s vital organs and it performs many important functions:

• Converts the food you eat into substances to sustain your body’s growth and function
• Makes and exports substances your body uses
• Breaks down drugs for your body to use
• Converts toxic substances into a form that your body can expel

If you’re regularly drinking to excess, you may develop a fatty liver, which may affect your liver function.  However, if you reduce your drinking, or stop altogether, your liver can recover.

Drinking heavily or excessively can cause Alcoholic Hepatitis (inflamed liver).  This can result in liver failure and death.  Alcoholic hepatitis is reversible if you stop drinking but continued drinking can permanently scar and damage your liver (Cirrhosis of the Liver).   Cirrhosis of the liver can be treated, but it is not reversible and can increase your risk of developing liver cancer.  If you reach that stage it can be difficult to recover. 

Women tend to have lower tolerance of the alcohol when consumes over the limits.  This is because women have less of the enzyme dehydrogenase that breaks down alcohol in the stomach than men drinking the same amount of alcohol. Hormone levels also affect the body’s ability to process alcohol, and women will reach their limits faster drinking their regular amount of alcohol right before menstruation. This is because during the period women tend to have a higher percentage of body fat and a lower percentage of water.

The digestion process itself plays a large factor. For every person no matter the size the liver will only digest one standard drink per hour.

As far as possible keep drinking social and also focus on chatting with friends and sipping in water rather than chucking down the alcohol senselessly will help to reduce the amount of drinks for the night.