Q: I have a typical problem and need your help. I am prone to alcohol and have been a regular drinker since the last 12 years. My consumption is heavy sometimes half a bottle (375 ml) a day. I had gotten the USG done for my liver and found fatty liver grade 2, whereby I take a tonic Essentiale L, two times a day. However, my drinking continues...and so does the tonic. Please suggest to me the following : 1. How much of alcohol is safe for me on a daily basis. 2. What medicines would you recommend that would reduce the urge for alcohol. 3. Are there any medicines / tonics that would reverse or stop the damage done to my liver so far. 4. How do I get rid of this habit for good. I need your help very badly, as I have two young kids and a beautiful wife to look after. I sincerely want to come out of this habit and live a healthy life.

A:Given the fact that you have liver damage, no alcohol is safe for you to drink from this day onward. Your liver may recover if: 1. You stop drinking altogether, and 2. You maintain a healthy diet and take extra vitamins, especially B complex, to help your liver heal itself. Naltrexone, 50 mg. daily, would probably help to reduce your desire for alcohol. In the United States there are self-help groups known as ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, that help persons like yourself to maintain abstinence from alcohol. See if you can find such a group, join it, and become active in your own recovery.