Abuse Of Alcohol

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Alcohol abuse is when you drink large amounts of alcohol often to change your mood or behavior (actions). Alcohol abuse may also be called ethanol abuse. When you abuse alcohol you may become an alcoholic. Alcoholism is a harmful disease that makes you crave alcohol. It causes you to drink more than is safe, even if it makes you sick. Alcoholism causes you to crave alcohol so much that you cannot stop drinking.

AFTER YOU LEAVE:

Take your medicine as directed:

Call your primary healthcare provider if you think your medicine is not working as expected. Tell him if you are allergic to any medicine. Keep a current list of the medicines, vitamins, and herbs you take. Include the amounts, and when, how, and why you take them. Take the list or the pill bottles to follow-up visits. Carry your medicine list with you in case of an emergency. Throw away old medicine lists.

Follow up with your primary healthcare provider as directed:

Write down your questions so you remember to ask them during your visits.

Self care:

• Avoid alcohol: Alcohol can damage your brain, heart, and liver. It also increases your risk for injury, high blood pressure, and certain types of cancer. Alcohol is dangerous when you combine it with certain medicines. Talk with your primary healthcare provider if you need help to stop drinking.
  
  
• Do not drive or operate machines when you drink alcohol: Make sure someone who has not been drinking can help you get home.
  
  
• Learn ways to manage stress. Deep breathing, meditation, and listening to music may help you cope with stressful events. Talk to your caregiver about other ways to manage stress.

For more information:

• Alcoholics Anonymous
  Web Address: http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.
  

Contact your primary healthcare provider if:

• You need help to stop drinking alcohol.
  
  
• You have trouble with work or school because you drink too much alcohol.
  
  
• You get into fights because of alcohol.
  
  
• You have questions about your condition or care.

Seek immediate care or call 911 if:

• You have sudden chest pain or trouble breathing.
  
  
• You pass out or think you had a seizure.
  
  
• You feel sad enough to harm yourself or others.
  
  
• You have hallucinations. This is when you see, hear, feel, or taste things that are not real.
  
  
• You cannot stop vomiting, or you vomit blood.
  
  
• You have been in an accident.

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The above information is an educational aid only. It is not intended as medical advice for individual conditions or treatments. Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before following any medical regimen to see if it is safe and effective for you.

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