Alcohol and the Liver

Fibrosis is the medical term for scar tissue in the liver. Fibrosis is caused by infection, inflammation, or injury. It prevents the liver from working well.

Alcohol causes inflammation in the liver, causing more fibrosis. In a person with a chronic liver disease (such as hepatitis B or C), alcohol causes even more damage than it would in patients without those other liver diseases. Fibrosis eventually can lead to severe scarring (cirrhosis), especially when a person drinks heavily.