Posting to share the real consequences of drinking too much.
I don't want to come across as judgy and I've stopped drinking myself based on unhealthy patterns that I built up over a number of years but I'm not posting about myself, as I'm lucky to not have any liver issues.
A close relative is in their early forties and has been told they don't have long to live thanks to cirrhosis and liver failure. They have got to the stage where there is no way back for their body unless they stop drinking and even then, the only chance at life is a liver transplant which requires abstinence, a body healthy enough to cope with a new organ and support to cope after a transplant. They are under the care of a palliative support team and considering a hospice. They are attending hospital weekly to have fluid drained from their abdomen as their liver doesn't process toxins and more. They are having episodes of HE which is a type of brain disfunction caused by the liver failing. They are at high risk of dying any day because of bleeding, infection, increased risk of heart attack. They have reduced mobility and no appetite. They have teenage children who have had to be told this awful news. Sadly for the person involved they cannot stop drinking despite rehabilitation and so there will be no miraculous outcome here, just a very painful and sad demise.
I urge anyone worried about their drink habits to focus on this. The person I'm posting about drank wine, not litres of spirits every day. There were signs of a problem for years before but they buried their head in the sand, as did others around them.
If you feel concerned about your own drinking, take this as a sign. Speak to your GP, your family, AA, an online group. Your body can and does repair itself unless you get to the point my relative is at.
If I can help even one person with this message then I've done my job.
Merry Christmas all