If you are a heavy drinker and then think bollocks I will stop drinking because I have a test coming up it actually makes it worse. This is because the liver once you stop abusing it starts to heal and it dumps all its toxins stored in it to deal with processing the booze. Its these toxins that they are picking up.
What utter, unmitigated, inaccurate and unscientific twaddle that entire post is. Toxins my arse! What the hell are "toxins"? Where do people get these daft ideas from? Books on homeopathy and crystals? Why would the liver store toxins? It is there to get rid of them! You don't have a clue pal. Not a firkin clue.
The internet will fill you in on the details of this test which is looking at Transferrin, a plasma protien associated with Iron transfer in blood and bone that responds to steady and substantial alcohol consumption. A few/several weeks of abstinence will reduce it markedly (Jock's 9 months is total bolleaux too) but it is a good indicator of recent activity.If you can't stay off the sauce it just won't come down much. It is quoted as having a half life of 14-17days which must make consumption even a month or few ago apparent, and also contradicts the little gem of misinformation in the post above about it getting worse for a while after stopping. If it does, medical sites on the net seem unaware of it...
It cannot diagnose alcoholism which is a clinical diagnosis that takes much more than a blood test and the analysys of many different liver-function parameters even within that.
But don't take my word for it, I'm not a doctor. The medical description of this process is available on the net - and this is not the right place to go believeing the tabloid tattle of the uninformed on such a potentially serious matter. It is so easy to find out the facts.