Recovering
from hepatitis A
Most people will get better from hepatitis A on their own. While you have symptoms you should try to rest. And drink plenty of liquids. A few people will have a “relapse” and get symptoms again. But this will usually only happen once.
The information on this page is for:
- Adults with hepatitis A or suspected Hepatitis A
- Family, friends, carers, and healthcare professionals.
You can find information about hepatitis A in children here
Once you have recovered you will have immunity to hepatitis A and will not be able to get it again. But you will still be able to get other types of hepatitis, so it is important to try and prevent this.
Find out about other types of viral hepapitis
Recovering from hepatitis A can take several months. You might feel very tired while your body fights off the infection and your liver heals itself. This is normal. But it can make everyday life difficult, and you might not be able to do all your usual activities for a while.
Once the virus is gone most people will be able to slowly return to normal.
On this page:
Food, drink and hepatitis A
Alcohol
Hepatitis A is not caused by alcohol. But if you normally drink alcohol, you should avoid it until you are fully recovered.
Your liver must work hard to fight the virus and then to repair the damage it has caused. Drinking alcohol will put even more strain on it. This risks slowing down your recovery, or even doing more damage to your liver.
Once you feel completely better it should be safe to drink some alcohol again. Stick within the recommended limits to prevent any new damage.
Food
There are no specific foods that you need to eat or avoid while you recover from hepatitis A. Try to eat a well-balanced diet to help your liver to get better.
Supplements
Always talk to your doctor if you are thinking about taking supplements. Or other types of over the counter or complementary medicines. Your liver might not be able to deal with these in the normal way while you are recovering.
Support
How Liver UK can help
A diagnosis of liver disease can be worrying, and you may have a lot of questions.
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This content was last reviewed: June 2026
Our expert reviewers:
We would like to thank everyone who helped with creating and reviewing this page. Including Dr Jay Patel, Consultant hepatologist, Bedfordshire hospitals NHS trust, Kathryn Jack, Lead nurse for research and innovation, Nottingham university hospitals NHS trust, Dr. Ahmed Elsharkawy, Consultant transplant hepatologist. And all our patient reviewers.
Find out how we make our patient information.
Everyone’s experience of liver disease will be different. Always talk to your specialist medical team for personal advice.
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