Final answer:
The liver can often recover if a person quits drinking, but this depends on the extent of the liver damage. Early-stage damage like fatty liver can be reversed, while severe damage such as cirrhosis may be irreversible.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that your liver can recover if you quit drinking is generally true, especially if the liver damage isn't too severe. The liver is a resilient organ that has a remarkable ability to regenerate and repair itself, to a certain extent, when the damaging factors, such as alcohol, are eliminated. If a person is suffering from alcohol-related liver damage, such as fatty liver disease or early stages of liver inflammation, stopping drinking can lead to a significant reversal of damage and allow the liver to repair itself. However, in more serious cases like cirrhosis, which is the formation of fibrous tissue in place of dead liver cells, the damage may be irreversible. Cirrhosis caused by chronic excessive alcohol intake leads to a progressive loss of liver function and in such cases, complete recovery may not be possible even after ceasing alcohol consumption.