Drinking alcohol greatly increases the risk of developing cirrhosis. Maintain a nutritional, balanced diet, and avoid fried foods and foods with high salt, sugar or fat content. Some vitamins and herbs may be helpful in strengthening your liver. Talk to a doctor about medical options. There are tests to monitor how your liver is working and whether the virus has done any damage to the liver.
Some people choose a treatment which combines two drugs - alpha interferon and ribavirin.
While this treatment has been effective for a lot of people, it can have serious side effects and doesn't work for everyone. Talk to your doctor as well as friends and family members, and look for other people with Hepatitis C or support groups to help you weigh your choices. The programs are free, anonymous, and legal - when you enroll, they give you a card that makes it legal for you to possess needles. The programs operate at different locations during the week, with some evening hours.