What does the liver do?

The liver is in the upper right part of the abdomen. It has many functions which include:

• Storing glycogen (fuel for the body) which is made from sugars. When required, glycogen is broken down into glucose which is released into the bloodstream.
• Helping to process fats and proteins from digested food.
• Making proteins that are essential for blood to clot (clotting factors).
• Processing many medicines which you may take.
• Helping to remove or process alcohol, poisons and toxins from the body.
• Making bile which passes from the liver to the gut and helps to digest fats.

What happens when you drink alcohol?

When you drink alcohol, it is absorbed into the bloodstream from the stomach and intestines. All blood from the stomach and intestines first goes through the liver before circulating around the whole body. So, the highest concentration of alcohol is in the blood flowing through the liver.

Liver cells contain enzymes (chemicals) which process (metabolise) alcohol. The enzymes break down alcohol into other chemicals which in turn are then broken down into water and carbon dioxide. These are then passed out in the urine and from the lungs.

The liver cells can metabolise only a certain amount of alcohol per hour. So, if you drink alcohol faster than your liver can deal with it, the level of alcohol in your bloodstream rises.