If you’re partial to wetting your whistle during the festive season then this one is for you.
For many, the holidays mean catching up with family, stuffing your face with chocolate and knocking back beers with your old schoolmates.
Crimbo traditions come in all shapes and sizes, and maybe yours includes an after-dinner Tia Maria tipple or a morning mimosa to get the party started.
However, if you’re thinking of drinking your way through Christmas, then a health practitioner has a stark warning for you.
Dr John O’Mahony, the medical director of Trillium Villa Nursing Home in Sardinia, has taken to social media to talk about overindulgence.
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In a video - posted to TikTok following Christmas 2022 - the health expert began: “As family doctors, almost every time I order a liver ultrasound or an abdominal ultrasound it comes back as fatty liver.
“It’s something that’s pretty much endemic,” he continued. “We’re just seeing it the bigger we get, the more alcohol we consume, the more common it gets.”
According to the University College Cork graduate, most people who come in for liver scans ‘tell fibs’ about how much booze they’re consuming during the week.
But explained that if you drink every day without giving your liver a break it can eventually lead to liver disease.
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According to Mayo Clinic, some symptoms of liver disease include abdominal pain and swelling, itchy skin and chronic fatigue.
Dr O’Mahony also says that those suffering may also see their skin and eyes appear yellow, which is more commonly known as jaundice.
So, if your prolonged alcohol consumption has caused cirrhosis and your liver stops functioning properly, then you need to quit drinking for good.
“The first thing you do is you have to stop drinking, never drink again,” he explained.
“The liver can recover somewhat - the ultimate treatment would be a liver transplant.”
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The practitioner also warned that if you continue your boozy lifestyle, you could end up suffering from liver cancer.
Unfortunately, the practice owner has revealed that there is currently no medication in circulation that combats fatty liver.
He explained: “The first line of treatment is losing weight, reduce your alcohol intake or stop your alcohol intake altogether, and hopefully this will reduce the inflammation and scarring.”
Dr O’Mahony also recommended that if you’ve been told you have a fatty liver in the past then you might want to make a New Year’s Resolution to drink less.
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“Moderation is what we really should be striving for,” he added.
If you are having a gin-infused Christmas period, then why not challenge yourself to Dry January?
According to the Priory Group, you could experience some mild alcohol withdrawal symptoms within the first 24 hours of alcohol abstinence.
However, by the fourth week of no drinking, your liver should have recovered most of its function, and your memory may have improved.
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The group also claims that you may experience higher levels of concentration and have a much healthier sleep routine.
Topics: Christmas, Health, UK News, Food And Drink
Ella Scott