Welcome
Introduction
Firstly,
I
feel
it’s
important
that
I
state
right
from
the
start
that
this
website
is
from
a
personal
perspective
only.
I
am
NOT
medically
qualified
but
have
experienced
first-hand,
what
it’s
like
to
go
through
many
of
these
associated
medical
conditions.
I
can
therefore
totally empathise with those who are struggling to cope or understand their condition.
Most
of
the
medical
information
on
this
site
has
been
taken
from
other
reputable
websites.
Such
as
the
NHS,
and
the
British
Liver
Trust.
It
has
never
been
my
intention
to
infringe
upon
any
copyright
laws
but
to
merely
share
reliable
and
legitimate
information
to
raise
awareness
of
alcohol-related
liver
disease
(ArLD).
On
several
pages,
I
have
used
some
videos.
These
I
feel
often
help
to
explain
things a little better and are both informative and thought-provoking.
I
would
also
like
to
point
out
that
a
number
of
these
videos
(like
the
one
on
Varices)
can
be
rather
bloody
and
graphical.
These
videos
are best viewed in a full-screen setting with the sound turned on.
T
his
website
is
about
understanding
what
it’s
like
to
experience
alcohol-related
conditions
from
a
personal
perspective.
I
personally
hate
the
word
‘Alcoholic’
as
this
word
alone
just
stigmatises
a
person.
Sadly,
an
alcoholic
is
looked
upon
as
being
a
“Down
and
out”,
a
“Drunk”,
or
“wino”.
What
might
surprise
many
people,
is
that
out
of
those
people
who
end
up
developing
a
serious
Alcohol-related
condition, 84% of them don't have an alcohol addiction problem. They drink because they choose to, not because they have to.
The remaining 16% are the ones who now drink because they have to. Their addiction is now driving their need for alcohol.
News...
The Liver Life Project
Alcohol-Related Liver Disease
Some Interesting Facts
About the Liver
*
The
liver
passes
around
2000
litres
of
blood and filters it 350 times per day.
*
The
liver
has
a
unique
capability
to
restore
itself
after
an
inflammation,
trauma, poisoning or other stress.
*
30–50
percent
of
liver
diseases
are
caused by alcohol.
*
The
liver
is
the
largest
digestion
gland
and
the
largest
internal
organ
occupying
almost
the
entire
cavity
under
the
right
side of the rib cage.
The
liver
doesn’t
have
any
pain
receptors,
so
it
can’t
always
tell
you
when
it’s
poorly
or
becoming
damaged.
During
the
early
stages
of
liver
disease,
a
patient
usually
doesn't
feel
anything.
Later
on,
though,
weakness and general fatigue may occur.
Most
often
the
disease
makes
itself
known
by
complications:
yellowish
skin,
dark
urine,
and
light
faeces.
Especially
threatening
complications
are
the
fluid
in
the
abdominal
cavity
and
bleeding
from
the digestive tract.