How does alcohol damage the liver?
It causes fatty tissue to build up in the liver, it suppresses enzymes needed to break down toxins in the body, and it causes scar tissue to form inside the liver (cirrhosis).
Why is the liver damaged by excess alcohol?
Alcohol eats away at your organs which will then damage the liver. Alcohol should not be a "oh lets go party" drink, you should only be drinking to drink it not to get drunk and want to party. The more alcohol you drink the more your liver is going to be ate away at. With out your liver, it will be the end of you :(
Are lortab abusers likely to suffer liver failure if they abuse alcohol and how much?
It isn't that easy. Use of alcohol in excess of the recommended amounts increases your chances of liver damage, but each person is different and you can't measure the risk individually. We can say that prolonged alcohol abuse will damage the liver, but now how much or how quickly. The acetaminophen in the Lortabs increases the chance of liver damage, but again, the odds can't be stated with certainty.
How does beer affect your liver?
When you drink beer, the alcohol that initially enters your body needs to be broken down. This breaking down of the alcohol is done in the liver, which then distributes it into the blood stream. A drink every now and then is not going to be much of a problem, but if you abuse the alcohol, you can cause permanent damage to the liver and scarring. Alcohol abuse also leads to liver and/or colon cancer.