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Can You Recover from Liver Damage?

Can You Recover from Liver Damage?

How Addiction Causes Liver Damage

When you drink to excess or abuse drugs, the damage that takes place in your body can range from mild to life-threatening, depending on what you are using, how much, and for how long. Addiction can cause you to forget about your health and the future, instead creating a sense of urgency that keeps you in the present, always chasing your next fix or waiting until you can have your next drink. This results in many people foregoing self-care and healthy behaviors like eating right, exercising, and regular medical visits, instead using more drugs and alcohol to avoid stress, discomfort, and painful feelings.

Substance abuse can be devastating to your health. Even binge drinking a few days in a row can damage the liver, the organ that filters toxins from your blood. Many drugs affect the liver, with alcohol being the most famous. Although it is a resilient organ that can repair itself, it can only handle so much before the scarring and other effects due to damage as well as dehydration may be irreversible over time, leading to the death of liver cells.

The symptoms of alcohol-related liver disease (ARLD) like nausea, vomiting, jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), abdominal pain, fever, itchy skin, ascites, and weakness may not be noticeable until severe liver damage has occurred. The beginning phases of ARLD include alcoholic fatty liver disease, with fat building up within and around the liver, often with no symptoms or very mild symptoms. This is followed by alcoholic hepatitis, when the liver becomes inflamed and symptoms begin to arise, with blood clots, swelling in the abdomen, and signs of confusion due to ammonia buildup in the blood. The final stage of ARLD occurs when scar tissue begins to inhibit the flow of blood and fluids to the organ, making it stop working, a condition known as cirrhosis.

Drug-induced liver diseases may also include cirrhosis, as well as hepatitis, necrosis, steatosis, cholestasis, fulminant hepatitis, and blood clots inside the liver’s veins. All of these conditions can lead to liver failure, a life-threatening condition that can only be remedied by a liver transplant, which may not always be a possibility for everybody.

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Can You Reverse Liver Damage?

Liver damage is a life-threatening condition and the potential to repair liver damage depends on its severity and the stage of liver disease you are in. Although the liver is a resilient organ that can regenerate, this can take time, and can only happen so often before the liver is too damaged to completely repair itself.

According to the American Liver Foundation, with treatment and healthy practices, if the damage from the fibrous pre-cirrhosis stages of liver failure and inflammation is caught in time, it may be possible to repair liver damage. This is why it is important to always be honest with your doctor about your symptoms and your level of consumption. The sooner you quit and get proper medical care, the better the chance you will have to regain your health. Actions you can take to help improve your wellness include:

  • Stop drinking and using drugs immediately
  • Keep other toxins out of your system, like quitting smoking and being cautious around pesticides and other chemicals
  • Proper diet and exercise
  • Lose weight
  • Drink more water
  • Never use medications with alcohol and watch which over-the-counter drugs you take
  • Stop taking certain medications (under medical oversight)

Other Major Organs Impacted by Addiction

Along with the liver, several other organs are affected by drug and alcohol use, including:

  • The brain and nervous system – alcohol, and drugs interfere with your ability to think and move, and your mood, as well as the coordination of bodily functions. Long-term substance abuse can cause brain damage, which is irreversible
  • The respiratory system – alcohol and drug abuse can slow breathing, which can lead to respiratory failure, and you can also develop pneumonia, cancer, and other lung diseases depending on the substance
  • The stomach and digestive system – substance abuse can lead to ulcers and gallstones and can interfere with your metabolism which can lead to cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach, etc., and liver cirrhosis
  • The kidneys and bladder – drug and alcohol abuse can cause infections and sepsis in the excretory system, you may become dehydrated or malnourished, or you can develop kidney stones, urinary tract infections, and organ damage leading to organ failure
  • The muscular system – drugs and alcohol impair muscle coordination and slow movement, reducing muscle mass and increasing the risk of Rhabdomyolysis (muscle breakdown into the bloodstream)
  • Bones, tendons, and ligaments – alcohol interferes with your ability to absorb and use calcium

What Addiction Treatment Options are Available?

When you have a substance use disorder, you will likely require some degree of detoxification before beginning a rehab program. At Resurgence Behavioral Health, we offer inpatient detox plans to our patients that provide prescription medications, 24-hour medical care from qualified medical professionals, therapy and counseling, and holistic healing methods, all combined for an effective treatment program that will keep you safe, and help you avoid suffering from uncomfortable or painful withdrawal symptoms, anxiety, stress, and cravings.

Once you are stable, you can move into an inpatient or outpatient alcohol rehab program. At Resurgence we have:

Residential Rehab – this is an inpatient program that usually lasts 30 to 90 days, in which you live inside one of our treatment centers full-time, with access to a variety of therapy options, provided on a structured and customized schedule. In inpatient rehab, you will gain healthy habits as you heal your body, mind, and spirit, all within a 100% sober, encouraging, and safe environment.

Outpatient rehab – there are several levels of care available in the Resurgence outpatient program including a Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP), an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), and our continued outpatient care program that can last as long as you need it to. Each program offers therapy, care, support, and connections to a sober community, helping you transition back to your life on your own terms as you continue through the recovery process.

Get the Physical and Psychological Help You Need

Please call us at (888) 700-5053 to learn more about how you can stop substance abuse safely, and effectively. We are here for you, and we can help you regain control over your life through our comprehensive continuum of care that utilizes treatments including:

  • Medical detox and medication-assisted treatment (MAT) programs
  • Behavioral health treatments
  • Individual therapy
  • Group therapy and process groups
  • Family therapy
  • Dual diagnosis programs for co-occurring disorders like mental illness or PTSD
  • Couples’ rehab programs
  • Holistic treatments
  • Life skills training and relapse prevention programs
  • Educational programs

At Resurgence, we use trauma-informed methods in everything we do, and we have comfortable rooms, and healthy nutrition and exercise programs, offering structure and stability to our clients during detox, inpatient rehab, and outpatient rehab. Everybody on staff is non-judgmental, highly trained, professional, and truly cares about helping you, getting to know you as an individual, and offering personalized care with a person-first approach to healing. Through your tailored treatment plan, our team of expert doctors, nurses, therapists, and other care providers can help you stop abusing drugs and alcohol, regain your physical and mental health, and start on your path to recovery. Please call now for more information or to verify insurance coverage. We are here to help you.

Addiction Treatment that
Just Works

Individualized treatment programs delivered in a comfortable, relaxed setting promote healing in your recovery journey.

David Rofofsky
David Rofofsky
After growing up in New York, David chose to get help with substance abuse in California because of the state's reputation for top-tier treatment. There, he found the treatment he needed to achieve more than nine years of recovery. He's been in the drug and alcohol addiction rehab industry for eight years and now serves as the Director of Admissions for Resurgence Behavioral Health. David remains passionate about the field because he understands how hard it is to pick up the phone and ask for help. However, once the call is made, someone's life can be saved.


Research | Editorial

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