To be worried after watching Adrian Chiles’ Drinkers Like Me?

[Metalhead]

Although I’ve recently cut down a lot on my drinking, I’ve been a pretty heavy drinker on and off for the past 20 years. I’ve had blood tests in the past that have always been fine, but so did Adrian in his documentary and yet he still had some liver damage when he went for a FibroScan. I’m wondering if I should ask my GP to refer me for a scan, or if I’d just be wasting my time?

Depends really. Do you want to hear the answers and what will you do if the news is not great?

Why not ask your GP for help to reduce your drinking? Assume you have liver damage, and take steps to help your liver to repair and your overall health to improve.

A scan won't actually help you -- worst case scenario is that if the results are not that bad you will feel it gives you "permission" not to address your drinking behaviour. The solution is to cut back on your alcohol consumption and your behaviour around alcohol, and that's true whether or not your liver is fine or not.

The first principle of screening is to ask whether the proposed treatment should change depending on the outcome of the test. In this case, it wouldn't: you ought to reduce your drinking either way.

(Also, the first principle of medicine is to do no harm -- and as outlined above there is a very realistic change that screening may encourage you to act in a way that would contribute to your future harm.)

I get what you’re saying Medea, and I have already cut down a lot and am now well within the recommended limits. I’d just like to know if I need to stop drinking completely or if I can carry on having the odd drink now and then. I definitely wouldn’t take a good scan result as an excuse to keep on drinking to excess!