Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease (ALD) is no longer a distant concern for older adults. It is now one of the fastest-growing causes of liver-related deaths in people under 35. And most people don’t even know it exists. At the Liver Awareness Foundation, we believe the only way to change the story is to face the facts.
ALD is rising in young people. Here’s what that means.
Recent studies show ALD now accounts for up to 50 percent of liver-related deaths in adults under 35. That number is real. And it is increasing. This is not about extreme alcohol use. It is about the way alcohol impacts the liver over time, sometimes quietly, without obvious symptoms. Many young people only find out their liver is damaged when they end up in the ER with nausea, confusion, or severe pain. By then, the damage may already be advanced
Why it’s happening
ALD has always existed, but in the last decade, hospitalizations and deaths linked to alcohol- related liver damage have gone up significantly in young adults.
What is driving it?
- More alcohol use during high-stress years, including the pandemic
- A lack of awareness about how the liver works and how long damage can go unnoticed
- Normalized binge drinking and weekend alcohol culture
- The absence of liver health in youth public health messaging
What’s not being said
Liver disease is still seen as something that happens “later.” But that is no longer true. ALD is now affecting people in their twenties and thirties, (sometimes even earlier).
The scariest part? Most people have never heard of it. They don’t know that liver damage can start before symptoms show. They don’t know what tests to ask for. And they don’t know how many young adults are already being hospitalized for it. That is why we are here.
No shame. Just facts.
At LAF, we are not here to shame anyone for drinking. We are here to make sure you have real information about what is happening and what is preventable. You deserve to know what ALD actually is. You deserve to understand what your liver does. And you deserve public health messages that include your age group, your lifestyle, and your reality.
Liver disease is not just a silent crisis. It is a growing one. And you deserve more than silence.
Share this post. Start the conversation. Mind Your Liver. It Needs You.™
References
Wang, L., Weinrib, I., Tran, T., et al. (2024). Incidence and trends of alcohol-associated hepatitis among adolescents and young adults in Ontario, Canada. JAMA Network Open
