Many people believe that if the liver is badly damaged—especially from years of drinking alcohol—it can never get better.
But new studies and better care are showing that the liver can heal, even after serious harm. This is giving hope to people who once thought they had no chance of recovery.
Doctors are learning that people with liver damage caused by alcohol, such as hepatitis or cirrhosis, can often get better.
The key is to stop drinking, take the right medicine, and get help for mental health and emotional issues. When all of these supports come together, patients can improve in ways that weren’t expected before.
In the past, liver doctors mostly treated symptoms. For example, if a patient had swelling or strange lab results, the doctor focused on fixing those problems. But they didn’t always help patients stop drinking.
Dr. Courtney Sherman, a liver specialist at UC San Francisco (UCSF), said that during her medical training, she didn’t get much advice on how to treat alcohol addiction. Because of this, patients kept drinking, their liver got worse, and doctors felt frustrated. Both patients and doctors lost hope.
That changed in 2023 when Dr. Sherman worked with Davina Martinez, a social worker and alcohol addiction counselor. They started a special program at UCSF called HALT, which stands for Healing Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease Together. It’s the first clinic like this in Northern California. It treats both the liver damage and the alcohol addiction at the same time.
The clinic was inspired by a similar one at the University of Michigan. At HALT, patients meet with Dr. Sherman to learn about their liver and treatment options, including liver transplants if needed.
Right afterward, they meet with Martinez to talk about why they drink and how to stay sober. If needed, they also see another doctor who can give medicine to help with cravings and withdrawal.
This approach is working. A study from the Cleveland Clinic, published in 2025, showed that nearly half of the patients in a similar program were able to quit drinking by their first follow-up visit. Many also had better liver function. This proves that treating both the addiction and the liver condition at once can help people recover faster and more fully.
HALT has already helped more than 300 people. Most are sent by their regular doctors or liver specialists. The team’s goal is to care for the whole person, not just their liver. Dr. Sherman says that this kind of full treatment is the best way to help people heal from alcohol-related liver disease.
Some patients at HALT have very damaged livers and may need a transplant. Others hope to heal without surgery. The HALT team encourages them, reminding them that the liver can repair itself if they stop drinking. Dr. Sherman has seen patients who were once told they needed a transplant recover so much that they no longer needed one.
This new way of treating liver disease is changing lives. It shows that people are more than just their symptoms. They need care for their mind, emotions, and body. HALT is showing that with the right support, even a badly damaged liver can heal. And more importantly, the person can heal too.
If you care about liver health, please read studies about simple habit that could give you a healthy liver, and common diabetes drug that may reverse liver inflammation.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about simple blood test that could detect your risk of fatty liver disease, and results showing this green diet may strongly lower non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
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