6 Months to Live or Die: How Long Should an Alcoholic Liver Disease Patient Wait for a Transplant?

People hospitalized with alcohol use disorder have an average life expectancy of 47–53 years (men) and 50–58 years (women) and die 24–28 years earlier than people in the general population. It is important to note that recovery from alcoholism is a lifelong process. Even after successful treatment, an alcoholic must continue to manage their disease and avoid relapse. This may involve ongoing therapy, participation in support groups, and avoiding triggers that can lead to drinking. Other lifestyle factors that can influence the average lifespan of an alcoholic include stress levels, sleep habits, and overall mental health.

If your condition is caused by viral hepatitis, antiviral medication can prevent additional damage to your liver. Alcoholics Anonymous is available almost everywhere and provides a place to openly and non-judgmentally discuss alcohol problems with others who have alcohol use disorder. In addition, there were almost 50,000 other alcohol-related deaths.

Alcohol-Related Factors That Influence Lifespan

In the aggregate data, neither age- nor sex-specific alcohol consumption data were available. The results based on aggregated data were exploratory and may not be used to draw definitive causative conclusions. In addition, data about illegal alcohol production and individual cross-border import were not included in the national statistics (6) and could not be evaluated in this study.

• Immune system
  Drinking too much can weaken your immune system, making your body a much easier target for disease.
• Kari has been affiliated with Hemet Valley Recovery Center since 2020, and currently serves as a Chemical Dependency Counselor and Case Manager for the Acute Detoxification and Partial Hospitalization programs.
• We’re here 24/7 to help guide you or your loved on through rehab and recovery.
• The brain has tremendous capacity to heal, but it doesn’t heal quickly.
• No matter how long you’ve been addicted to alcohol, what stage you’re in, or how hopeless the situation seems, you can get help as long as you are willing to do the work and admit you have a problem.

They think they’re dealing with the problem, but instead the person is compounding it by adding addictive drugs to their alcohol use disorder. At this stage, it’s no longer possible to hide alcoholism even in the functioning alcoholic. In fact, you can pretty much drop the “functioning” label because they are failing to function they way they should. During this stage, the person starts to drink alone so no one will notice what is going on. They become more depressed as the need for alcohol consumes their life and anxious that some negative consequences are going to catch up to them. They may get a DUI or lose friends because of their drinking habits.

How Alcohol Consumption Impacts Lifespan

Frequently drinking alcohol can result in a weakened immune system, resulting in your body having a much more difficult time fighting illness and disease. Common illnesses that occur with a weakened immune system, especially with alcoholics, include pneumonia and tuberculosis. Even 24 hours after being drunk can slow your body’s ability to ward off infections. The alcohol detox and rehab program at Inland Detox can help you move through recovery comfortably and in a safe environment, with the support of our highly trained staff.

• An alcoholic’s life expectancy may also be shortened by a variety of cancers as well.
• Even those in the pre-alcoholic stage are unlikely to recognize that their drinking may eventually progress into something serious.
• Submit your number and receive a free call today from a treatment provider.
• Alcohol-induced liver disease refers to liver damage caused by excessive alcohol consumption.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) found that 3 million deaths every year are caused by the harmful use of alcohol.

Don’t wait to develop cirrhosis before putting down the bottle, and save the world from the loss of another life too early. Certainly Daniel Radcliffe never intended to become an alcoholic when he https://ecosoberhouse.com/ began drinking – no one sets out with that as a goal. But casual drinking over time can slip into more if it becomes excessive. They could, and likely do, give in to their cravings at any time.

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Moderate drinking could still lead to health problems including eventually the development of an alcohol use disorder. Fatal accidents from drinking may be a result of drunk driving, overdose, or injuries while impaired like serious falls. Every day 29 people die from drunk driving incidents and approximately six people from alcohol poisoning. A major limitation of this study was the inclusion of patients from inpatient care only, which may have caused selection bias towards AUD patients with the most severe health problems. Patients with AUD who had only outpatient care were not included. The study was register-based and lacked clinical data about the type of treatment and adherence.

Just imagine the person sitting at home at night with a bottle of wine because they have nowhere to go. Then, there’s the person who grabs a 12-pack of beer life expectancy of an alcoholic after a long, hard day at work. Most likely, the person’s appearance and health have deteriorated so much from drinking, they may be unrecognizable.

PAWS is one of the leading causes of relapse for individuals that have completed alcohol addiction treatment. Many people experience symptoms of PAWS in cyclical waves – one day you feel fine, and the next you’re plagued by low energy and intense cravings for alcohol. The spontaneity of this withdrawal phase can make resisting temptation hard. However, it’s important to note that each PAWS episode is often limited to only a few days at a time. If an individual can hang on during that time frame, the symptoms will resolve just as quickly as they appeared. If you recognize signs of alcoholism in yourself, you should seek help from medical professionals such as a psychiatrist, primary care doctor or therapist.