How Much Is Too Much?

Question

My husband was diagnosed with alcoholic fatty liver disease. This scares me a lot. I have sometimes wondered if he drank too much but he seems to keep it control. He has a couple of beers and about a half a bottle of wine most days so he is not drinking in overly excessive amounts. He says his doctor did not tell him that he had to quit drinking. I am surprised about this and this is what I want to ask you about. He says that if he loses 20 pounds his liver problems will go away and he does not have to quit drinking so long as he reduces his weight. He says this is what his doctor recommended to him. Something seems fishy to me. I think he was probably told he had to quit drinking and he doesn’t want to, or maybe he can’t. What do you think?

Dr. Arthur Trotzky · Accepted Answer

I would trust your suspicions here. First of all "a couple of beers and about a half a bottle of wine most day" is vague but, in any case, is a good bit of alcohol daily cleared by the liver over tome. If he doesn't have diabetes or morbid obesity, it may very well be the alcohol.

One of the ways to see if a person is dependent is to see the difficulty in cutting down or stopping. He needs to see the seriousness of developing a life threatening problem if it is generated by his drinking and he continues. If he will not, and perhaps it is 'can not' stop, you should consult with his doctor, if he will agree, or an interventionist.

He should definitely see someone to discuss his drinking and diagnosis of FLD.

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