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Aim: This paper will demonstrate that alcohol abstinence has a beneficial effect on liver function and survival in all types of alcoholic liver disease. Results: Daily alcohol consumption of more than 25 gram in men and half of that in women is a risk factor for alcoholic liver disease (ALD). ALD consists of fatty liver, steatohepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular cancer. Alcohol abstinence is the major therapeutic option, since under alcohol abstinence alcoholic fatty liver normalizes. In alcohol hepatitis, a clinical syndrome with high mortality abstinence is absolutely mandatory to avoid early death. Even moderate hepatic fibrosis (perivenular and perisinusoidal) may regress during alcohol abstinence. In compensated and even decompensated cirrhosis of the liver mortality is significantly reduced when alcohol intake is stopped as compared to continuous drinking. Conclusion: Compared to other etiologies of hepatic cirrhosis as for example cirrhosis caused by hepatitis B or C virus, alcoholic cirrhosis has a significant better prognosis under alcohol abstinence. Thus alcohol abstinence is a good therapie and the success of each new therapy has to be compared to abstinence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]