Hi,

I am a 33 year old male, and have been drinking moderately off and on for the last 8 years, and what experts consider heavily for the last couple of years (3-5 drinks a night) with one or two nights off a week. My drinking occasionally increases on the weekend, but I can't remember the last time I had more than 6 drinks in a day; maybe once every other month or so it reaches 7+ (and I usually regret it).

Lately I've had a strange pain on my lower right rib cage. It doesn't feel internal, and could be muscular. I go to the gym three times a week. It has been persistent, and catches me off guard with movement usually, but it's different, so enough for me to notice. Because of the location of this pain, and my drinking habit, I have scheduled lab work and a physical for this Thursday.

My question is this: I haven't had a drink since Saturday, and the lab work is this Thursday morning. SInce I have been drinking for so long, I want the test to reflect my typical habits. But honestly, I feel pretty good about not drinking since the weekend, so, should I have a few drinks between now and the lab work, or will I receive an accurate gauge of liver enzymes and levels if I abstain until Thursday? I'm just wanting to paint an accurate picture here of what my previous behavior is doing to my body, and I'm not sure how quickly potentially heightened levels may return to normal.

Thanks for your help!