Another thing that will help your liver’s journey in recovery is good nutrition. There’s no miracle diet by any means, but the Mediterranean diet, for example, can help fill some of the nutritional gaps you may have due to alcohol use.
How Long Does It Take Your Liver to Detox From Alcohol?
Of all your body’s organs, your liver takes the biggest hit when it comes to alcohol. Even if your relationship with drinking consists of occasional social drinking with friends or occasionally over-indulging in wine and cocktails during the holiday season, alcohol can still leave its mark. And it’s a mark that can be hard to reverse.
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That’s why many of us wonder if a month of avoiding drinking is enough to “reset” your liver back to normal. It’s true that taking a break from alcohol for any amount of time will be beneficial overall, with some research showing that liver function begins to improve in as little as two to three weeks. But a full detox is needed for the most benefit, and how much time that takes depends on a variety of personal factors.
“It depends on how much damage has already been done,” explains liver specialist Christina Lindenmeyer, MD. “And if there are any complications related to the damage.”
Dr. Lindenmeyer explains what happens to your liver from prolonged and moderate alcohol use, and what a detox process would look like.
How alcohol impacts your liver
Your liver has enzymes that work like special tools to help metabolize (break down) different toxins that enter your body, such as alcohol.
In the short term, alcohol is processed through your liver in about an hour. Essentially, feeling “drunk” is when your liver becomes too overwhelmed to properly process alcohol, so it overflows temporarily into your bloodstream. This is what causes you to feel light-headed or tipsy after multiple alcoholic drinks.
In the long term, prolonged alcohol use can cause severe damage to your liver. Your liver has a specific pathway that the toxins follow to be broken down, so if over time, this pathway becomes overwhelmed by too many toxins, it can affect the efficiency of your liver’s work. In other words: It can’t keep up.
Certain health concerns and diseases can arise in your liver due to long-term alcohol use, including:
- Fatty liver disease.
- Cirrhosis of the liver.
- Alcoholic hepatitis.
How do you detox your liver?
If your liver has taken a hit from prolonged alcohol use, there are ways to give it — and the rest of your body — a break.
You can make the move toward detoxing your liver through these steps:
Stop drinking
The first and most important line of defense? You guessed it: Abstain from drinking. “Abstinence is the most critical intervention and treatment,” notes Dr. Lindenmeyer.
This is sometimes easier said than done, of course. If you’re a heavy drinker, you may need to wean off alcohol to let your body adjust. If you’re experiencing severe symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, be sure to talk to a healthcare provider.
If you’re more of a moderate to occasional drinker, you may find the hardest part of stopping drinking to be the social pressures. Try replacing your usual cocktail or beer with a non-alcoholic option, including many of the now popular mocktails available so you can still enjoy social time with friends without having alcohol in the mix.
Maintain a healthy diet
Another thing that will help your liver’s journey in recovery is good nutrition. There’s no miracle diet by any means, but the Mediterranean diet, for example, can help fill some of the nutritional gaps you may have due to alcohol use.
“Nutrition optimization is actually the most evidence-based and most important intervention aside from stopping drinking,” points out Dr. Lindenmeyer. This is because, for a lot of people who experience some kind of liver dysfunction, it makes them at risk of not getting enough proteins, calories or vitamins.
There are also certain foods like tea, fish and nuts that can benefit the liver’s function in many ways. Think of it as giving your liver a little boost in the right direction. “Nutrition therapy is very important in terms of feeding the liver and giving it the building blocks it needs to restore itself,” says Dr. Lindenmeyer.
How long until your liver detoxes from alcohol?
Of course, we all want a simple, achievable number for how long we should abstain from alcohol in order for our bodies to fully heal from its effects.
But the truth is, the timeline of your liver detoxing is going to depend on different factors like:
- The amount of alcohol you consume.
- The frequency of your drinking.
- Any other health conditions you may have.
- Your age.
- Your weight.
“There is no ‘one size fits all’ answer,” states Dr. Lindenmeyer. “It depends on how much damage has already been done and any possible complications.”
There has been some research conducted on how abstaining from alcohol detoxifies your liver over time. A 2021 review of research notes that several studies determined that two to four weeks of abstinence from alcohol by heavy-alcohol users helped reduce inflammation and bring down elevated serum levels in the liver.
In short: A few weeks off will help. But the longer you can abstain from alcohol, the better. And if your liver has experienced long-term effects, your healthcare provider would probably recommend lifelong abstinence from alcohol to allow it to fully detox and recover.
“For patients who are left with cirrhosis after severe injury to the liver from alcohol, even one drink of alcohol is toxic to the liver,” cautions Dr. Lindenmeyer.
Should you take a break?
For many of us, alcohol becomes a casual routine associated with going out and spending time with loved ones. But if you’re drinking alcohol in excess of the recommended guidelines, you may be doing damage to your liver. It can be hard to notice at first if your body is sending you any warning signs that it’s overwhelmed.
Here are some common signs that your liver is taking a serious hit from alcohol:
- Jaundice.
- Leg and ankle swelling.
- Dark urine.
- Abdominal pain.
- Chronic nausea or fatigue.
- Itchy skin.
- Constant feelings of confusion.
- Gastrointestinal bleeding.
What to know if you’re a casual drinker
It can be hard to find (or even know) the balance of how much alcohol your body is able to handle. If you’re not sure if your drinking crosses a certain line or not, try measuring your alcohol intake.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), alcohol should be consumed in moderation, which means one drink a day for women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB), and two for men and people assigned male at birth (AMAB) — unless your doctor says otherwise. If you’re keeping up with this average (or less), the damage of alcohol is most likely minimal.
On the other hand, binge drinking is generally defined as four drinks for women and five drinks for men within a two-hour period. And even occasional binge drinking episodes can have profound effects on your liver’s health over time.
Overall, a small break from drinking like a Dry January won’t necessarily fully “detox” your liver, but if you’re prone to overindulging in alcohol, you can see small health boosts such as decreasing inflammation of the liver and increasing your energy levels with such a break.
The bottom line
Just like a broken bone or infection needs time to heal, so does an overworked liver. While this depends on the amount of alcohol you have had over the years, your liver can see partial healing within two to three weeks, but this will depend on your health history.
Depending on the extent of liver damage you have, you may need to completely abstain from alcohol in order to give your liver the best chance for recovery. Talk to a doctor about your personal history and what’s right for you.
How long does it take to detox from alcohol?
When a person is dependent on alcohol, not drinking can be a challenge. An alcohol detox occurs once a person stops drinking, and alcohol starts to leave the person’s system. But how long does the detox process take?
While a person goes through alcohol detox, they can develop several symptoms of withdrawal. In some cases, symptoms can become life threatening.
When a person is ready to quit drinking, they should consider seeking professional help to reduce the intensity of the symptoms.
Keep reading to learn more about how long it takes to detox from alcohol. We also discuss signs of addiction, some withdrawal symptoms that a person can expect when detoxing, and how to treat these symptoms.
Share on Pinterest Stage 1 alcohol withdrawal symptoms can include anxiety, insomnia, and nausea.
According to the American Addiction Centers, initial detox takes about a week. However, a person may find that their symptoms continue for longer. In most cases, a person can expect the following timeline:
- About 8 hours after the first drink, the initial stage of withdrawal symptoms begins.
- After about 24–72 hours, symptoms generally peak.
- After about 5–7 days, symptoms may decrease in intensity.
- After the first week, some side effects, particularly the psychological ones, may continue.
Alcohol withdrawal symptoms typically occur in three stages:
- Stage 1: The first symptoms, which include nausea, anxiety, insomnia, and abdominal pain, tend to begin within 8 hours of the last drink.
- Stage 2: Symptoms can include high blood pressure, increased body temperature, abnormal heart rate, and confusion. These symptoms typically begin 24–72 hours after the last drink.
- Stage 3: Symptoms typically begin about 2–4 days after the final drink and can include fever, seizures, hallucinations, and agitation.
As the alcohol leaves the system, a person should start to notice symptoms decreasing. Most people tend to notice a reduction in symptoms within 5–7 days.
In addition to physical symptoms, a person will likely experience some psychological side effects, such as alcohol cravings or anxiety.
Finally, it is important to note that, in certain cases, a person could experience life threatening symptoms due to alcohol withdrawal. According to Recovery Worldwide, alcohol withdrawal occurs when a person stops drinking following heavy and prolonged use.
They also note that a person can experience alcohol withdrawal syndrome whether they have been drinking for weeks, months, or years.
Withdrawal syndrome can be dangerous, particularly if a person experiences severe hallucinations or seizures. For this reason, it is advisable to go to a rehab center, where the staff can help monitor worsening symptoms.
When detox occurs in a medical center, healthcare professionals often use medication to treat the symptoms of withdrawal. Doctors may prescribe benzodiazepines to manage seizures and other alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
In a rehab center, the healthcare team will monitor the person’s body temperature, blood pressure, and breathing.
In some cases, a person may choose to reduce their alcohol consumption gradually over several weeks. In these cases, a person should work with a doctor or healthcare provider to develop a schedule that they can follow safely to decrease dependency.
If a person slowly detoxes, they may be able to avoid the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. A doctor might also recommend certain dietary changes or supplements, such as vitamins B-1 (thiamin) and B-9 (folic acid), to help the body cope with the decreasing alcohol intake.
As with other addictions, alcohol dependency can negatively affect a person’s life.
Signs of alcohol use disorder vary from person to person, but they may include:
- drinking in secret or alone
- short-term memory loss
- experiencing blackouts
- making excuses to drink, for example, saying that it is to manage stress or to relax
- irritability
- extreme mood swings
- changing appearance or friends
- choosing drinking over obligations or responsibilities
- feeling hungover even when not drinking
- isolation from friends and family members
Anyone can develop alcohol use disorder. It is important that people seek help if they suspect that they are becoming dependent on alcohol.
A person should seek help if they notice that they or someone they love has symptoms of alcohol use disorder. Seeking help can be challenging for the person who is struggling with addiction. Loved ones and friends can help by letting the person know that they are not alone in their struggle.
If a person is unsure whether they need help, Recovery Worldwide suggest that they use a tool called CAGE, which is a short questionnaire that healthcare professionals may use to help screen people for treatment.
If a person can answer yes to two or more of the CAGE questions, they should consider seeking treatment.
The CAGE questions are as follows:
- Have you ever felt that you should cut down on your drinking?
- Have people annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?
- Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your drinking?
- Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or get over a hangover?
It takes about a week to detox from alcohol in most cases.
A person can sometimes become dependent on alcohol within a few weeks, but in other cases, it can take several years.
When a person decides to quit drinking, they should consider seeking professional help. This help may take the form of rehab or working with medical professionals to reduce alcohol consumption gradually over the course of a few weeks.
Last medically reviewed on April 3, 2020
- Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs
- Complementary Medicine / Alternative Medicine
How we reviewed this article:
Medical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We avoid using tertiary references. We link primary sources — including studies, scientific references, and statistics — within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.
- Galbicsek, C. (2019). Alcohol withdrawal.
https://www.alcoholrehabguide.org/alcohol/withdrawal/ - Galbicsek, C. (2019). Warning signs of alcoholism.
https://www.alcoholrehabguide.org/alcohol/warning-signs/ - Lautieri, A. (2020). Alcohol withdrawal symptoms, treatment, and timeline.
https://americanaddictioncenters.org/withdrawal-timelines-treatments/alcohol - Quitting alcohol cold turkey: What you need to know first. (n.d.).
https://oceanbreezerecovery.org/alcohol/cold-turkey/ - Thomas, S. (2020). Alcohol withdrawal symptoms and timeline.
https://www.alcohol.org/treatment-types/withdrawal-signs/
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