NationStates Jolt Archive

I wonder if anyone can help me with this: I know someone who insists that drinking rum is less damaging to your liver than drinking other spiriits (scotch, vodka, etc.). He also insists that beer is less damaging than spirits.

Does anyone know if there is any truth to this? Is there any particular alcohol that is more or less damaging to your liver (or the rest of your body, for that matter), or is it just dependant on quantity...

I wonder if anyone can help me with this: I know someone who insists that drinking rum is less damaging to your liver than drinking other spiriits (scotch, vodka, etc.). He also insists that beer is less damaging than spirits.

Does anyone know if there is any truth to this? Is there any particular alcohol that is more or less damaging to your liver (or the rest of your body, for that matter), or is it just dependant on quantity...

I don't know which alcohol is MORE damaging, but it's true - they are damaging your body at different levels. For example, wine gives you really bad hangovers compared to equivilant amounts of other alcohol. But wine's also better for your heart.

I don't know about the rum part, but the beer thing makes sense. Beer's not as concentrated as spirits, so I guess it would be less damaging... I suck at chemistry though.

Alcohol unless consumed in ridiculous amounts, is generally fine.

Just don't drink and drive.

If you drink beer as much as you would drink rum, there's no difference. (Or it's meaningless) Alcohol damages your liver no matter what, but liver is a very tolerant and selfhealing organ. It will damage permanently only if you drink huge amounts of alcohol. A class of Red wine a day is good for your heart, but then again, at the same time it's not good for your other organs. (nor your head..)

...actually a 6 pack a day for a month is enough to start liver problems. What happens is fat builds up in the cells of the liver. If too severe it killls the cells creating scar tissue which can result in decreased liver function, even liver cancer. Alcohol (ethanol) is alcohol and whether it's in beer or scotch makes no difference, unless said drink contains lecithin or some fatty acid to help break down the cholesterol build up

Alcohol is a funny bird. I can speak from experience as I am a world class drunk. Not an alcoholic, a drunk. There's a difference.

Anyway, all alcohol damages the liver. The only thing that differentiates alcohol is the aging process. Alcohol = Alcohol. However, the liver will heal itself. Some of it does have to do with genetics, though, so be sure to pay attention to your body. If you find yourself bloated and sluggish, you may have a condition known as "fatty liver" and you should take a couple days off from drinking so the liver can heal.

I drink 4-5 days out of any given week and my liquor of choice is Bourbon (Maker's Mark, specifically). I will consume approximately (though I've never actually measured) 500mL (16 oz.) of Bourbon in an evening, so you're lookin' at about 2.5 liters of Bourbon a week being processed by my liver. My liver is 100% healthy and happy.

Other people may not be able to consume as much, others perhaps more.

To do permanent damage to your liver, it takes years of alcohol consumption on a nearly constant basis.

According to the AMA, however, 3-5 glasses of wine per day is good for you. Yes, you heard me, three to five glasses per day! Nice, eh?

hehe I own a shirt which says
"the liver is evil and must be punished"

If you really want to protect your liver, the only real option is to drink less alcohol.

If you really want to protect your liver, the only real option is to drink less alcohol.


Bah! That's cheating.

The darker the drink, the more impurities are in it.

Thats why if you drink black rum you get a worse hangover than if you drink vodka.

Whether this also applies to liver damage though I'm not sure

hehe I own a shirt which says
"the liver is evil and must be punished"
DUDE! I need that shirt!

The darker the drink, the more impurities are in it.

Thats why if you drink black rum you get a worse hangover than if you drink vodka.

Whether this also applies to liver damage though I'm not sure

And vodka, gin and tequila are less fattening than e.g. dark rum

Jesus christ! Were you all just making things up? the AMA said that 4-5 glasses of wine a week may have some benefit. It has also been noted that JUST DRINKING GRAPE JUICE does the same damn thing! The only difference between a drunk and an alcoholic is denial. And you can have permanent liver damage even if you don't drink for years on end. Alcohol is the ONLY drug that can cause death from withdrawal. I should know...I had one near fatal seizure, and almost a stroke before I quit. And heroin, cocain, and every other thing i've used on a regular basis at some point was a piece of cake to get off in comparisson.
The hangovers are caused by the sugar level in the drink. Obiously wine is going to give you more of a hangover. just drink water and have some hershey's kisses around. it helps take away the cravings too if you are trying to quit.

Jesus christ! Were you all just making things up? the AMA said that 4-5 glasses of wine a week may have some benefit. It has also been noted that JUST DRINKING GRAPE JUICE does the same damn thing! The only difference between a drunk and an alcoholic is denial. And you can have permanent liver damage even if you don't drink for years on end. Alcohol is the ONLY drug that can cause death from withdrawal. I should know...I had one near fatal seizure, and almost a stroke before I quit. And heroin, cocain, and every other thing i've used on a regular basis at some point was a piece of cake to get off in comparisson.
The hangovers are caused by the sugar level in the drink. Obiously wine is going to give you more of a hangover. just drink water and have some hershey's kisses around. it helps take away the cravings too if you are trying to quit.
Hey man, don't be hatin'.

The only difference between a drunk and an alcoholic is denial. And you can have permanent liver damage even if you don't drink for years on end. Alcohol is the ONLY drug that can cause death from withdrawal. I should know...I had one near fatal seizure, and almost a stroke before I quit.

Just because you can't handle liquor doesn't mean you can assign your patheticness to the rest of us. Go to your meetings and suck your thumb with the rest of the uninformed coward zombies.

Just for the record I'm 32, and did some HARD drinking in my younger years...I already have (minor) liver damage. My drink of choice is scotch (Ballantine's), but someone keeps telling me I should switch to rum because it is less liver-damaging...but I drink much more moderately thesedays than in did in my teens and twenties...;)

(Thanks all for your replies)

Alcohol is a funny bird. I can speak from experience as I am a world class drunk. Not an alcoholic, a drunk. There's a difference.

Yeah me too. Alcoholics go to meetings, i dont, therefore i'm only a drunk.

The only difference between drinking straight spirits and beer or mixed spirit is in the speed at which the alcohol reaches your bloodstream. The liver is not affected by this, only by the total volume of alcohol that it has to process.

Yeah me too. Alcoholics go to meetings, i dont, therefore i'm only a drunk.

hehe ... well, we drunks have meetings ... but we call them "Parties". :D

Jesus christ! Were you all just making things up? the AMA said that 4-5 glasses of wine a week may have some benefit. It has also been noted that JUST DRINKING GRAPE JUICE does the same damn thing! The only difference between a drunk and an alcoholic is denial. And you can have permanent liver damage even if you don't drink for years on end. Alcohol is the ONLY drug that can cause death from withdrawal. I should know...I had one near fatal seizure, and almost a stroke before I quit. And heroin, cocain, and every other thing i've used on a regular basis at some point was a piece of cake to get off in comparisson.
The hangovers are caused by the sugar level in the drink. Obiously wine is going to give you more of a hangover. just drink water and have some hershey's kisses around. it helps take away the cravings too if you are trying to quit.
May you joyfully trudge the road to happy destiny.

Just because you can't handle liquor doesn't mean you can assign your patheticness to the rest of us. Go to your meetings and suck your thumb with the rest of the uninformed coward zombies.
Methinks thou doth protest too much?

...actually a 6 pack a day for a month is enough to start liver problems. What happens is fat builds up in the cells of the liver. If too severe it killls the cells creating scar tissue which can result in decreased liver function, even liver cancer. Alcohol (ethanol) is alcohol and whether it's in beer or scotch makes no difference, unless said drink contains lecithin or some fatty acid to help break down the cholesterol build up

I'd listen to New Fuglies here instead of your friend, New Fubaria. The alcohol you and your friend are refering to is ethanol. It's found in all alcoholic drinks and its the same exact stuff in every drink. The only difference is that depending on what you're what drinking is the amount of ethanol you're consuming.

Now if you're friend was refering to different types of alcohols, he'd be right. They do behave differently, but he's only refering to alcoholic or ethanol-containing drinks, not different chemicals in the alcohol family. Methanol for example, also known as wood alcohol, will make you blind if you drink it, and it doesn't take much at that. Just a couple grams and, poof, your vision has taken a permenant vacation. If you continue to drink it, methanol can kill you (Not to say ethanol won't, it will but not in such small amounts).
Many other alcohol will do different things in different amounts, but, in the end, they all will kill if you take in enough of them.