“There is no ‘one size fits all’ answer,” states Dr. Any other health conditions you may have.Of course, we all want a simple, achievable number for how long we should abstain from alcohol in order for our bodies to fully heal from its effects.īut the truth is, the timeline of your liver detoxing is going to depend on different factors like: How long until your liver detoxes from alcohol? “Nutrition therapy is very important in terms of feeding the liver and giving it the building blocks it needs to restore itself,” says Dr. Think of it as giving your liver a little boost in the right direction. There are also certain foods like tea, fish and nuts that can benefit the liver’s function in many ways. This is because, for a lot of people who experience some kind of liver dysfunction, it makes them at risk of not getting enough proteins, calories or vitamins. “Nutrition optimization is actually the most evidence-based and most important intervention aside from stopping drinking,” points out Dr. There’s no miracle diet by any means, but the Mediterranean diet, for example, can help fill some of the nutritional gaps you may have due to alcohol use. Maintain a healthy dietĪnother thing that will help your liver’s journey in recovery is good nutrition. Try replacing your usual cocktail or beer with a nonalcoholic option, including many of the now popular mocktails available so you can still enjoy social time with friends without having alcohol in the mix. If you’re more of a moderate to occasional drinker, you may find the hardest part of stopping drinking to be the social pressures. If you’re experiencing severe symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, be sure to talk to a healthcare provider. If you’re a heavy drinker, you may need to wean off alcohol to let your body adjust. This is sometimes easier said than done, of course. “Abstinence is the most critical intervention and treatment,” notes Dr. The first and most important line of defense? You guessed it: Abstain from drinking. You can make the move toward detoxing your liver through these steps: Stop drinking If your liver has taken a hit from prolonged alcohol use, there are ways to give it - and the rest of your body - a break. In other words: It can’t keep up.Ĭertain health concerns and diseases can arise in your liver due to long-term alcohol use, including: Your liver has a specific pathway that the toxins follow to be broken down, so if over time, this pathway becomes overwhelmed by too many toxins, it can affect the efficiency of your liver’s work. In the long term, prolonged alcohol use can cause severe damage to your liver. This is what causes you to feel light-headed or tipsy after multiple alcoholic drinks. Essentially, feeling “drunk” is when your liver becomes too overwhelmed to properly process alcohol, so it overflows temporarily into your bloodstream. In the short term, alcohol is processed through your liver in about an hour. Your liver has enzymes that work like special tools to help metabolize (break down) different toxins that enter your body, such as alcohol. Lindenmeyer explains what happens to your liver from prolonged and moderate alcohol use, and what a detox process would look like.
“And if there are any complications related to the damage.”ĭr. “It depends on how much damage has already been done,” explains liver specialist Christina Lindenmeyer, MD.
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But a full detox is needed for the most benefit, and how much time that takes depends on a variety of personal factors. It’s true that taking a break from alcohol for any amount of time will be beneficial overall, with some research showing that liver function begins to improve in as little as two to three weeks. That’s why many of us wonder if a month of avoiding drinking is enough to “reset” your liver back to normal. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center.
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