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The liver is an essential organ responsible for getting rid of toxins.
How to detox after heavy drinking is the most important thing to have in everyones mind right now.
Knowing what the signs are that your liver is doing a good job helps in recovery and also checks if you are at risk of harming it further by abusing alcohol or drugs.
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If you're binge drinking or taking drugs, which oftentimes people do when they're trying to overcome a substance abuse problem, then your liver will become overwhelmed by all the toxic stuff it needs to process.
And when the liver becomes this toxic, one can end up feeling extremely ill.
1. Importance of Liver Health
The liver is the most important body part of all. It's crucial.
A football-sized organ sits in the right ribcage and is a part of the digestive system responsible for helping the body with food digestion.
Now, since it has to take on tasks that other organs usually do, one of its jobs is to produce bile - or a chemical that converts fat into fuel that the human body can activate.
Note that if you were to remove the liver from someone's body and feed them a recipe for chocolate cheesecakes and ice cream sundaes, it would make them very ill indeed. (1)
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Whether you're aware of it or not, the liver performs an incredible number of vital functions that keep our bodies healthy and in shape.
It regulates blood sugar, makes vitamins vital to brain function, maintains optimal blood thickness, and keeps muscle tremors at bay so we stay steady on our feet while performing other tasks with our bodies.
It filters toxins from the bloodstream and works backward to metabolize alcohol or medications so they don't build up or become toxic in the body.
And did you know that when you spend regular time working out your muscles grow by performing those repetitions?
That's right - the liver is responsible for helping our muscles become more toned. And most importantly, this amazing organ helps keep heart health top-notch as well. (2)
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No organ system in the body creates more enzymes and processes more toxins than the liver.
Unfortunately, a healthy liver is becoming less common because individuals in our society are subjecting their livers to tremendous amounts of abuse such as excessive alcohol consumption or improper dietary measures.
Alcohol and Liver
The liver is responsible for breaking down the bulk of alcohol that you drink. Unfortunately, the liver cannot put the pieces back together in the same way that you might be able to do when trying to solve a complex jigsaw puzzle.
Instead, it creates harmful toxins which means your body is even worse off than before drinking!
These substances cause damage to vital organs; particularly your liver and can lead to irreversible damage or even death. Alcohol kills 4 out of 5 people who suffer from liver disease.
Some of the common liver diseases caused by alcohol are (3) –
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Steatosis: It is also referred to as Fatty Liver and is quite a common ailment afflicting alcoholics.
Liver cells become clogged with fat which interferes with the normal functioning of the organ, and liver toxicity results as a consequence of this. The specific type of this condition will vary from individual to individual depending upon their age, gender, habits, and other health issues that contribute to its onset.
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Hepatitis: About 33% of people with fatty liver cirrhosis will experience mild to moderate inflammation.
This is referred to as alcoholic hepatitis, and it can also take on an acute form if you don't pay attention to your health.
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Acute alcoholic hepatitis: Severe (or acute) alcoholic hepatitis is not a risk you can afford to take lightly.
Even just one drink from the wrong batch could prove fatal because alcohol is made using ingredients that are known carcinogens (cancer-causing agents) and indigestible for some people - it's even more hazardous than regular alcohol.
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Cirrhosis: Around 1 in 5 people who drink extensively have liver damage in the form of cirrhosis.
Alcohol causes the body to change the process that eliminates scar tissue from the liver.
This means that scar tissue will continue to build up while surrounding healthy cells are declining - it eventually puts such strain on your liver that it can no longer work and will stop functioning, which if left untreated can be fatal.
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Liver failure: Some drinkers are so heavy that their livers end up failing. This kind of damage means that there is too much scar tissue in the liver, and because alcohol is broken down thereby healthy liver cells, alcohol poisoning can lead to pain and even death.
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Just like any other organ in our bodies, our livers have a finite lifespan and there is a point at which it may be damaged beyond repair.
2. Signs of Alcohol Detox
When it comes to helping those in need fight their alcohol dependence, it's important not just to be physically but mentally prepared.
With all the resources available, knowing how to detox after heavy drinking will give keep your liver safe and start noticing the positive effects immediately.
Once you have stopped drinking and even in the hours right after abstaining, your body can naturally begin to clear itself of toxins including alcohol a lot faster than one might think.
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As stated above, this withdrawal can be more or less extreme depending upon the general health of the person as well as how advanced their alcohol addiction has already become.
Fortunately, detoxification from alcohol works best under professional medical care in a situation where symptoms can be closely monitored and regularly treated to prevent them from developing into anything more severe.
However, there are ways that a person can minimize the negative side effects during their detox - for example by maintaining regular hydration (which also helps keep chronic pain under control) or starting eating healthy foods again (some people may experience nausea or discomfort due to withdrawals).
3. How to Detox
How to detox your liver afterking heavy drinking?
Here’s a quick glimpse –
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Initial Hours: The first symptoms of a detoxification reaction appear rapidly, within the first 8-10 hours after ingestion of chlorella.
Nausea and abdominal pain are accompanied by anxiety, as well as weariness, insomnia, and restlessness.
All these symptoms can be explained when you consider what happens to the liver during this period.
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Take it easy and do not worry, because your body is simply striving to eliminate toxins accumulated during prior exposure to environmental pollutants that are no longer present
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The Next Day: After a heavy night of drinking, within 24-78 hours your body is likely to experience fatigue and you may find it difficult focusing on things or becoming confused.
Your body is busy trying to recover quickly has affected your brain's ability to use the information surrounding it properly, making reaction times slower than they would normally be in life or at work the following day, which could prove dangerous in terms of interactions with other people or objects around you.
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Within The Same Week: It takes two to four days for the effects of alcohol to leave your body after the last drink.
During this time, you may experience symptoms such as emotional irritation and hallucinations, which are caused by an accumulation of toxins in your bloodstream.
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The craving for more alcohol will also increase, because the liver has been put into detox mode, waiting to be overworked again.
You may not notice it consciously, but hallucinations and auditory anomalies can occur at this point – some people have reported hearing ringing in their ears or seeing black spots in their vision. Seizures and tremors of the extremities are common during an extreme liver detox.
You can also follow some of these detox and cleanse plans for faster results.
1. 3 6 9 Liver Cleanse Diet Plan
2. 7 Day Liver Cleanse Diet Plan
3. 3 Day Liver Cleanse Diet Plan
4. 24 Hour Liver Detox
5. 10 Day Green Smoothie Liver Cleanse
6. Ayurvedic Liver Cleanse
4. Foods, Juices to Eat/Drink to Carry out Detox
Vegetables, fruits, and fruits could be beneficial when it comes to carrying out detox. In this regard, below are some of the recommendations - (4)
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Vegetables and Fruits: While cravings are a symptom of alcohol withdrawal, most people trying to regain control over their sobriety are surprised by how often they crave something sweet.
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After your body has processed it for several hours, fruit can provide a healthy source of carbs that your body will use to replenish its glucose levels after the cleansing process starts to burn through what you’ve had stored in the past.
Fruits are also full of vitamin C and potassium which help you stay hydrated while losing excess water weight by starting to adjust your electrolytes.
Lots of organic sources of fruit include melons, berries, bananas, and grapefruit.
Mixing fruits and vegetables can be used to prepare liver and bladder cleanse.
Alternatively, you can use liver cleanse drink or liver detox soup.
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Whole Grains: It's important to rebuild your body from the inside out. Carbohydrates are essential for recovery, hence why carbohydrates resolve exhaustion on a cellular level (as opposed to refined sugars, which provide an energy surge and then a crash).
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The fiber found in whole grains is also essential for gut health.
Healthy gut bacteria can assist the liver, kidneys, and digestive tract - all of which are key detox organs for the body.
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Vitamin B: Alcohol can deplete your body's supply of B vitamins. Foods that promote good health and haven't been treated with chemicals, for example, salmon, poultry, dairy foods like yogurt and eggs.
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And vitamin B-rich vegetables such as spinach and broccoli even beans, lentils, and whole grains for an energy boost.
By following a nutritious diet you can keep your mind clear and focused on goals well into the evening.
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Proteins With No Fat: A lot of alcoholics in withdrawal are picky eaters. They lose their cravings and turn away from anything resembling food, which can make it even more difficult to be productive while they’re trying to recover and stay clean.
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Fortunately, we’ve found a tasty way to get them the protein and calories they need: homemade bone broth.
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Cayenne Pepper: Believe it or not, cayenne peppers can decrease your desire to consume alcohol.
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They also assist in relieving the symptoms you would normally feel when going through alcohol withdrawal, such as stomach upset, nausea, and headaches.
It is also very difficult to keep consuming alcohol if you have a healthy gut.
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Lemon Juice: Drinking a glass of liver cleanse juice with a squeeze of lemon juice in the morning can stimulate the nerves in your internal organs, so you feel more alert and can better digest your food through the process of peristalsis.
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Recommended Reading: Liver Cleanse Juice: An Ultimate Guide (With Recipes)
5. Precautions and Side Effects
Below is a list of some of the primary side effects that liver detox might catalyze in the process –
- Weakening of immune system
- Liver inflammation
- Irritation
- Kidney damage
- Fainting
- Weakness
- Onset of migraine
Also, a person should/must avoid the recommended liver detox therapy if he/she has –
- Kidney issues
- Hepatitis B
- Diabetes
- And, liver damage
6. How Long Does the Liver take to Detox?
According to the American Addiction Center, your body may need a whole week to completely detoxify from alcohol, and these symptoms may extend beyond this time.
Studies have found that it takes at least one week for alcohol to be completely processed by your liver and leave the bloodstream, whereas in extreme cases it could take up until several weeks to decrease from an initial blood concentration of 0.12 – 0.30%.
In some rare instances, depending on what kind of drink or beverage you had or how much you drank, poor health or even death is possible if you don't get help immediately. (5)
7. To Conclude
Heavy drinking can lead to a build-up of fats in the liver. They are referred to as alcoholic fatty liver diseases and are the first signs of severe alcohol abuse.
Fatty liver disease, in most cases, is asymptomatic.
However, if you continue drinking heavily for an extended period despite the warning signs like fat accumulating within your liver or other organs then it might turn into cirrhosis and fibrosis which equals nothing good at all.
It can be reversed though if you know how to detox after heavy drinking.
So it's important that you stop drinking right away because nothing beats the required detoxification process working within your body with the golden help of nature till you get back to a normal state.
Also, if the situation goes worse or more severe, do thrive to get immediate medication as soon as possible.
