Anyone know if I have to wait 6 months to donate part of my liver?

Hi, what a wonderful gift that you are willing to donate part of your liver to your friend. Based on my research below she should not have to wait six months for lifesaving treatment.

Below I include links to three articles and encourage your friend to contact other transplant centers for second opinions. According to Mayo Clinic, "Most transplant centers no longer require a specific length of pre-transplant abstinence. ...At Mayo Clinic and most U.S. transplant centers, there is NOT an absolute rule of 6 months abstinence to be listed for transplant if you have alcohol-related liver or other organ disease."

The second article from 2021 also says, "Johns Hopkins is one of the few centers in the United States that regularly transplants livers into patients with alcohol-related liver disease whose sobriety doesn’t reach the six-month threshold." Likely since 2021 more transplant centers have changed their rules as well.

The third article also from 2021 says that instead of six months they look at the "patient's medical need, financial stability, social support, understanding of their addiction and desire to recover. But the subjectivity of these measures means different transplant committees can come to different decisions."

Similarly the Mayo Clinic article says:
"- Transplant centers in the U.S. require patients stop drinking alcohol prior to being placed on the waiting list for liver transplant.
- Most transplant centers in the U.S. require patients to undergo formal treatment for their alcohol use. The type of treatment varies by patient and their individual situation.
- Transplant centers in the U.S. require all transplant patients (with all diagnoses) to follow the transplant center’s recommendations and policies regarding transplant prior to being placed (and while ON) the waiting list for any organ transplant."

The links are below:

1) https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/transplant/newsfeed-post/alcohol-related-liver-disease-the-facts-about-liver-transplant/

2) https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/articles/destigmatizing-liver-transplant-for-patients-with-alcohol-use-disorder

3) https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/clinical-care/6-months-live-or-die-how-long-should-alcoholic-liver-disease-patient-wait-transplant

I hope this information is helpful and wish the best for you both.