The Signs of Liver Disease I Missed

Living With Liver Disease as a social drinker

As a social drinker, my intake of wine was average. But I’ve never been a big drinker.

Or so I thought, but the thing with the effect of alcohol is that it can grow with time. So post-work drinks and showbiz music launches were about to catch up with me.

I’d enjoy a glass of pinot grigio in the summer while cooking dinner or sipping on a cocktail with friends.

When people ask what my drink of choice was, I would never say vodka or gin because it wasn’t.

It was just wine with the occasional gin on vacation. Because it’s light, refreshing and low in calories — or so I thought.

The defining moment.

It wasn’t until my doctor told me that I was showing signs of alcoholic liver disease that I started to reflect on the amount and frequency at which I was drinking — which, it turns out, wasn’t that healthy after all.

Here are signs of liver disease that I completely overlooked when analysing my own lifestyle choices.

I’d been drinking socially since I was a kid. I mean, I worked in the media. That is what you do, right?

I thought my intake of wine was average because I didn’t drink in the morning. It was social.

I certainly didn’t see myself as an alcoholic. But unfortunately, that feeling is often shared by others.

I’d hear people say, “Oh, he’s a bit of a wino,” but I had a lot of friends who drank like me.

The Man In The White Coat Told Me I Was Dying

It wasn’t until I was diagnosed with advanced cirrhosis that I realised how much damage I’d done to my body.

I thought I was in a lousy movie like Snakes On A Plane