Medical Questions & Answers » Alcohol

Quitting Alcohol

medicalquestions — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 06:34:10 +0000

For the last seven years, I have been suffering from “Alcoholic Liver Disease with episodic bouts of compensation i.e. cirrhosis, ascites, portal hypertension, bleeding varices and encephalopathy, spleenomegaly.” Quite recently I had an acute attack of “altered sensorium and delirium”, which was diagnosed as “Hepatic encephalopathy.” Apart from drugs I am on a salt restricted and protein rich diet.
1. What can I do to optimize the quality of my life?
2. Can I unilaterally reduce the dose of medicines prescribed for the lives if I feel better?

You have alcohol related liver cirrhosis which, being in its advanced stage, is not curable and will definitely affect the quality of your life. If you continue to have these problems despite abstinence from alcohol, the only permanent solution is to undergo a liver transplant. If that is not a feasible proposition, you need to continue the treatment with regular follow ups with your liver specialist perhaps life long. It’s not advisable to meddle with your drug dosage even if you feel better.

Driving while you Drunk

medicalquestions — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 06:01:53 +0000

Question: How much can I drink and still drive?
The rate at which alcohol is removed from the body is constant for each person and nothing can increase this rate, thus once alcohol is present in your blood stream, it will remain there until the appropriate period of time has passed, no matter what tricks you try to make yourself sober quickly.
The blood alcohol level depends greatly on your weight. In smaller people there is less body for the alcohol to be spread around, and so the levels for the same number of drinks tend to be higher. Fat does not help dilute alcohol very much, so a very obese person may have a much higher blood alcohol level than a person of the same weight who is all muscle and no fat.
Only a very rough guide to the amount of alcohol that is safe to drink can be given. Men may be able to consume three standard drinks in one hour to reach .05, and then one standard drink per hour thereafter to stay at that level. These figures should be reduced by 1/3 for women. A standard drink is 250 mL of beer, 120 mL of wine, 60 mL of port or sherry and 30 mL of any spirit.

Affects of alcohol on pancreas

medicalquestions — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 06:01:57 +0000

Question: My husband is a salesman and drinks a lot with his work. I think he uses his work as an excuse to get boozed. One of his mates has had pancreatitis. Could he get it too?
The pancreas is the organ that produces your digestive juices and sits in the centre of the abdomen behind the belly button. People who drink a large amount of alcohol can damage the pancreas, causing the digestive juices to leak out into the belly. These juices then try to digest your insides, which causes severe pain. The treatment is difficult and often involves long hospital stays.
Pancreatitis is not a common disease, but is a well recognised complication of alcoholism. Anyone who drinks excess amounts of alcohol, either constantly or intermittently, is placing their health at risk in many ways.

Alcohol with Medication

medicalquestions — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 06:01:35 +0000

Question: I’m not an alcoholic, but I do like a wine with dinner and an occasional beer after gardening. Can I drink alcohol with medication?
Medication and alcohol do not mix. Alcohol may exacerbate side effects, prevent the drug from working correctly or the drug may increase the effect of the alcohol. Always ask a doctor or pharmacist about any interactions between alcohol and even common over-the-counter medicines.

Liver damage by alcohol

medicalquestions — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 06:01:15 +0000

Question: Why do alcoholics get liver damage?
Alcohol is absorbed from the stomach into the bloodstream, and is moved to the liver, where it is broken down into its basic components. Excess amounts of alcohol are excreted through the kidneys. If the liver is regularly overloaded with alcohol, the cells in the organ are damaged (pickled) and they can no longer function properly. If enough cells are damaged, the person develops cirrhosis, which may lead to total liver failure and death.
Doctors can do a blood test to see if your liver is being damaged by alcohol. Anyone who is taking more than six drinks a day is risking permanent liver damage and is probably an alcoholic.

Harmfulness of Alcohol

medicalquestions — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 06:01:29 +0000

Question: My father consumes two casks of wine a week. Can you tell me what harm this will cause him? Are there any additives or preservatives that can cause harm?
There are additives and preservatives in cask wine, but their effect would be absolutely minimal in comparison to the effect of the alcohol being consumed.
Casks come in different sizes, but assuming you are referring to the standard four litre cask, your father is consuming more than 60 standard alcoholic drinks a week. A standard drink is 15 mL of spirits, 30 mL of sherry or port, 125 mL of wine or 250 mL of standard strength beer.
An alcoholic is someone who has three or more of the following habits:
• consumes mote than six standard drinks a day,
• drinks alone,
• tries to hide drinking habits from others,
• disrupts work or social life because of alcohol,
• craves alcohol when none is available,
• appears to tolerate the effects of alcohol well,
• binges on alcohol,
• has abnormal liver function.
Your father is an alcoholic, and this will be causing his liver, brain, heart and other organs significant damage.
Treating an alcoholic is extraordinarily difficult, as most will not accept the diagnosis. Unless they are a danger to themselves or society, treatment cannot be forced upon them, and even if it is forced, they do not respond as well as those who accept voluntary treatment.
In his few sober moments, try to gently persuade him to seek assistance. If he has a regular general practitioner, speak to him/her, so that the next time he visits the doctor, he/she can also reinforce the message.

Necessity of vitamins for a drunker

medicalquestions — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 06:01:15 +0000

Question: I am only a social drinker, and only get drunk every couple of weeks but my doctor says that I will get some berry disease if I don’t eat better & take vitamins?
Beriberi is a disease caused by an acute lack of thiamine (vitamin Bl). This vitamin is relatively common in the diet, and significant amounts can be found in liver, lean pork, yeast and all cereal grains. The disease occurs in those who are malnourished, and particularly in alcoholics, because alcoholics may obtain most of their calorie intake in the form of alcohol, and neglect their normal food intake.
In the early stages, the patient has a multitude of vague complaints including tiredness, loss of appetite, twitching and muscle cramps and pains. Swollen joints, shooting pains, paralysis of feet and hands, and heart abnormalities are late symptoms of a very advanced form of the disease.
Beriberi is easily treated by giving the patient thiamine (vitamin Bl), and well balanced diet. Some authorities have argued that thiamine should be added to alcoholic drinks to prevent beriberi, in the same way that iodine is added to salt to prevent goiters.
You should take vitamin B and watch your diet, but better still, seriously consider your alcohol intake. Your can do blood tests to see alcohol has affected your liver.
You may not want to believe it, but from your letter I would have no hesitation in diagnosing you as an alcoholic. This is not a criticism of you, but the truth, and the sooner you, and others, realise that this condition is a disease that requires specific medical treatment, the better for all concerned.