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Written By: Agencies | Updated : October 7, 2014 5:35 PM IST
Daniel Radcliffe has revealed that he turned to alcohol when he was filming the 'Harry Potter' franchise because he was struggling to deal with his newly acquired celebrity status. The 24-year-old actor told on Sky Arts in an interview that he would have benefited from not drinking as it was not making him as happy as he wanted it to, Contactmusic reported. (Read: Alcohol abuse what you need to know)
Radcliffe, who has been a teetotaler since 2010, added that it is not a real pressure but it is a pressure of living with the thought that people saying that he is not going to have a career. (Read: Alcohol and liver disease what's the connection?)
What does alcohol do to your liver?
When you drink alcohol made primarily of ethanol your liver works overtime to convert the ethanol into acetic acid. This is then converted into a less toxic form called acetate, which is eventually removed from the body as urine.
Sounds simple enough, doesn't it? Well, all this converting and watering down of large amounts of toxins, divertes the liver from its primary functions like providing glucose. Glucose is extremely important for your brain to function. The lack glucose or hypoglycaemia is one of the main reasons you suffer from a hangover, feel lethargic, have lowered cognitive functions and suffer from nausea, vomiting, headaches and fatigue. Mind you these are the short term effects.
Long term effects
The long term effects are far worse. It takes a toll on all liver functions. Apart from fatty foods, excessive alcohol consumption the primary causes for all liver diseases. The fat deposited due to absorption of alcohol leads to fatty liver disease and causes inflammation of the liver which leads to alcoholic hepatitis (one of the first stages of alcoholic liver disease), this can then progress to fibrosis (thickening of connecting tissues) or cirrhosis (a chronic liver disease marked by cell degeneration, inflammation and advanced fibrosis).
Though the liver is a remarkably resilient organ (it can function normally even after losing 70% of its mass), cirrhosis, is a death knell for the liver. It leads to its complete shutdown by preventing the free flow of blood leading to accumulation of waste and toxins in the body. The symptoms of cirrhosis are usually only visible when it has progressed to an advanced stage and may occur either simultaneously or gradually. By that time very little can be done for the patient. (Read: What alcohol does to your liver)
With inputs from ANI
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