Is it OK to Drink Around Someone Forced to Give up Alcohol?

When a family member or friend has to give up alcohol, is it OK to drink again around that person? Even worse, when that loved one has developed advanced cirrhosis of the liver it is a tough question in the midst of a difficult situation. The only other circumstance I can relate it to is when someone quits smoking.

When somebody kicks the smoking habit, it's usually pretty awkward for everyone around them used to that person always having cigarettes close by (aside from the grumpiness). This is especially true for the ones who would normally "bum a cigarette" from them, or go out on smoke breaks together. The result is the new non-smoker's friends sneak out to avoid hurting feelings or being reminded that they too, should quit.

In the case of sobriety, the situation is similar - awkward - especially for the people around them who still drink themselves. When the new non-drinker is facing a life or death situation if they start up again, those around them know they definitely don't want them to "fall off the wagon." Thus, the usual jovial attitude smokers and non-smokers have with each other cannot be compared when an alcohol situation is dire.

Sometimes, a forced-sober individual will say it's fine to drink around them - they "don't mind," BUT people with healthy livers should know better; because when the mood is relaxed and people say things in a casual atmosphere, THAT is when a beer would go real nice with this bar-b-que, and wouldn't it be great to have a glass of wine with this baked brie and chocolate cake?

The reality is, when a loved one can no longer handle alcohol and their life is at stake, you CAN control yourself and wait to have a drink away from them. I wouldn't sneak out in a group because the recovering alcoholic is probably depressed enough... However, if they catch just one or two of you in the basement with a secret stash of booze, just say you're doing it for them - they'll understand and probably have a good laugh.

10 Main Causes of Liver Cirrhosis

Most people that have heard of liver cirrhosis will automatically attribute it to alcoholism. In fact, there are a number of causes for the disease; Here is a simple list of 10 of the more common ones:

1. Alcoholism
2. Chronic Viral Hepatitis
3. Chronic Bile Duct Blockage
4. Primary biliary cirrhosis
5. Primary sclerosing cholangitis.
6. Nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases
7. Abnormal Storage of Copper or Iron
8. Certain Drugs and Toxins
9. Autoimmune Hepatitis
10. Cystic Fibrosis and Alpha l-Antitrypsin Deficiency

Not surprisingly, Alcohol does happen to be the #1 cause of liver cirrhosis. Excess drinking can be attributed to 9 out of every 10 cases of cirrhosis in the U.S., and is also the third leading cause of death in people age 45-65 (after heart disease and cancer).

A distant second place to alcoholism is hepatitis Type B and Type C; both viruses.

Liver Transplant Basics

When scouring through the internet looking for info on liver transplants, you soon realize there is way too much information to be able to read it all. While sorting through "information overload," and getting headaches and blurry eyes trying to figure out which website to save as a favorite, I decided to simply start again with wikipedia.

For those of you who don't know, wikipedia.org is the top publicly-constructed encyclopedia online. Its users/editors are fanatics of facts and referencing data, and I have found less errors on the wiki's pages than in textbooks.

For the basics on liver transplants, start with wikipedia It's a good place to begin an earnest search of relevant medical facts - in plain english.

Cure for Cirrhosis Discovered?

Japanese scientists have discovered a way to cure liver cirrhosis in rats. They believe the technique could also be used in humans. They say the drug might be ready in a "few years"...

If it is true, and a drug is created for people, does that mean it will be ready for patient dispensing in a few years? or maybe just for human test trials?

This is good news though, because it signals that there are PhDs working on total cures for cirrhosis, without getting a transplant. The discovery was made in Japan, but with the way the pharmaceutical industry is going, any drug development overseas will eventually go global, with a timeline depending on demand... AND considering this story ranked #1 on yahoo's most read news - I'd say demand will be high in the states:

Here is the story on the cirrhosis cure.