The First Signs of Alcoholic Liver Damage Are Not in the Liver

2 min readDec 19, 2020

Photo by Paul Felberbauer

With optimism, you look upon the sunny side of things. People say, ‘Studs, you’re an optimist.’ I never said I was an optimist. I have hope because what’s the alternative to hope? Despair? If you have despair, you might as well put your head in the oven. — Studs Terkel

The voice on the phone was uncharacteristic without the lilt, the sudden laugh, the optimism usually expressed. Who among us would be cheerful or express anything but a somber sense of helplessness when the “C” word is used in our diagnosis?

Clinical trials, some are told, may give back a future, sustain lives, and allow dreaming of another tomorrow. But the researchers leading the trials are as blind as we and make those statements either in good faith or to advance their careers. We want to believe it’s good faith, and, in that spirit, we agree to put our bodies through whatever it takes to defeat the monster

https://www.construct.ee/sites/default/files/webform/quote_request/_sid_/video-match-v-oklahoma1.html

https://www.construct.ee/sites/default/files/webform/quote_request/_sid_/video-match-v-oklahoma2.html

https://www.construct.ee/sites/default/files/webform/quote_request/_sid_/video-match-v-oklahoma3.html

https://www.construct.ee/sites/default/files/webform/quote_request/_sid_/video-match-v-oklahoma4.html

https://www.construct.ee/sites/default/files/webform/quote_request/_sid_/video-match-v-oklahoma5.html

https://online.louisiana.edu/sites/music/files/webform/video-match-v-oklahoma1.html https://online.louisiana.edu/sites/music/files/webform/video-match-v-oklahoma2.html https://online.louisiana.edu/sites/music/files/webform/video-match-v-oklahoma3.html https://online.louisiana.edu/sites/music/files/webform/video-match-v-oklahoma4.html https://online.louisiana.edu/sites/music/files/webform/video-match-v-oklahoma5.html https://online.louisiana.edu/sites/music/files/webform/video-t-v-tennessee00001.html https://online.louisiana.edu/sites/music/files/webform/video-t-v-tennessee00005.html

https://www.construct.ee/sites/default/files/webform/quote_request/_sid_/video-t-v-tennessee00001.html

https://www.construct.ee/sites/default/files/webform/quote_request/_sid_/video-t-v-tennessee00002.html

https://www.construct.ee/sites/default/files/webform/quote_request/_sid_/video-t-v-tennessee00003.html

https://www.construct.ee/sites/default/files/webform/quote_request/_sid_/video-t-v-tennessee00004.html

https://www.construct.ee/sites/default/files/webform/quote_request/_sid_/video-t-v-tennessee00005.html

https://online.louisiana.edu/sites/music/files/webform/match-v-northwestern001.html https://online.louisiana.edu/sites/music/files/webform/match-v-northwestern002.html https://online.louisiana.edu/sites/music/files/webform/match-v-northwestern003.html https://online.louisiana.edu/sites/music/files/webform/match-v-northwestern004.html https://online.louisiana.edu/sites/music/files/webform/match-v-northwestern005.html https://online.louisiana.edu/sites/music/files/webform/video-a-v-everton01.html https://online.louisiana.edu/sites/music/files/webform/video-a-v-everton02.html