A DOCTOR has revealed how he has been forced to tell drinkers they are going to die after they were rushed to hospital with severe liver damage from binge-drinking sessions.
Dr George Abouda, a consultant gastroenterologist and hepatologist, says more women, young parents and high-flying professionals are being rushed to Hull Royal Infirmary after damaging their liver through binge drinking.
Now, as Dr Abouda and his colleagues prepare for an influx of patients caused by the new year celebrations, he is warning people that one more drink could be their last.
And he is warning people who have drunk heavily over New Year to give their bodies a rest for 'at least two days'.Dr Abouda said: "We have had young people who have been admitted to hospital and, to the shock of ourselves and everyone around them, have to give them the news that they won't make it out.
"It is a rarity and they usually have some predisposition or problems that haven't been identified but people are under-estimating how much they are drinking and the damage they are doing.
"These are people who have young children and there are implications for the families around them."
With binge drinking classed as drinking double the daily limits, which equates to three pints of lager or two large glasses of wine, many people have put themselves at risk of liver damage over the festivities.
Last week, security guard Dean Prendergast told how he was rushed to hospital with alcohol poisoning after binge drinking on a work night out to celebrate Christmas.
Dr Abouda said he and his colleagues have seen younger drinkers in their teens and twenties, more women and more professional people from affluent areas of Hull and the East Riding with severe liver problems.
As the liver does not show symptoms of problems until alcohol-related liver damage manifests, it is often too late for doctors to help the patients and they never make it home.
Whereas alcohol-related liver damage was once considered a risk for alcoholics, more and more of the patients are binge drinkers.
Dr Abouda, who is based at Hull Royal Infirmary but has clinics at Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham, said: "People think nothing is going wrong so they continue to drink until the point when the liver and other organs cannot take it anymore.
"This presentation is usually severe and, sometimes, it can be life-threatening and even lead to death. We don't get the gradual deterioration seen in most patients where they are not feeling right. Sometimes, it can be the first presentation that is life-threatening and some of those people don't make it out of hospital again."
He said people should not be fooled into thinking they can drink as much as their friends as underlying health problems, a predisposition to liver disease and the state of their nutrition can make another drink one too many.
Dr Abouda said: "We usually see problems at weekends and around the festive season.
"We do worry at this time of year as people need to understand the risk they are putting themselves in. This is about making the clear decision of when to stop drinking as that's what makes a great difference.
"It could be that one extra drink is the one that ends up with you in hospital.Help your liver help you! LIVER specialist Dr George Abouda has three key messages to give to New Year revellers after last night's celebrations. He said: "Even if there is some damage to the liver, its ability to repair itself is great so there is always the chance that if you stop drinking, it will get better." The doctor advises anyone drinking to excess over the festive season to aim for at least two alcohol-free days afterwards to give their liver time to create new cells to replace the ones destroyed by binge drinking. He also advised people to take care of their general health, to eat a nutritious, balanced diet and to watch their weight to help prevent future risk of liver damage.
