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Prehab and alcohol

Cutting back on your drinking can have a huge positive impact on how you look and feel – often in just a few days. Reducing your alcohol intake can also have a positive impact on your recovery from surgery and also help your body prepare for any surgery you might be undergoing.

Drinking more than 4 units per day (equivalent to 2 pints of beer or large glasses of wine) doubles your risk of complications after surgery. Reducing your alcohol intake will improve the health of your liver, which is vital for healing after surgery.

Alcohol guidelines

To keep health risks from drinking alcohol at a low level, men and women should not exceed 14 units per week and it is advisable to spread your drinking over three days or more. A unit is around half a pint of medium strength beer, a small 125ml glass of wine, or a 25ml measure of spirits.

What 14 units looks like:

  • 14 single measures of spirits (25ml, 40% ABV) or
  • 6 glasses of wine (175ml, 13% ABV) or
  • 6 pints of ordinary strength beer/larger/cider (568ml, 4% ABV) 

If you are pregnant, the safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all, to keep risks to your body to a minimum. Use this handy unit calculator to check how much you are drinking.

For support in how to take steps to reduce your intake or stop drinking altogether, please see the below links.

This can be difficult during times of stress. HCPs are keen to support you and further information can be found - Exercise activities | Living With Liver Cancer.

Useful resources and information