Alcohol and The Role of Pharmacists Flashcards
How many g of alcohol in 1 standard drink?
10g of alcohol
How many standard drinks is the max for any day for men and women?
No more than 2 standard drinks on any day
- no more than 4 standard drinks on a single occasion
What activities involve risk or a degree of skill and therefore alcohol should not be drank before or during such activities?
What is the legal blood alcohol limit?
BAC upto 0.05 while driving, for full license holders
- 0.05g of alcohol in 100mL of blood
What is the aims of alcohol think again (WA initiative)?
- reduce the risk of alcohol related harm over a liftine
- reduce the risk of injury on a single occasion of drinking
- increase women’s intentions to abstain from alcohol during pregnancy, and when breastfeeding
- allow parents and young people to make informed choices about delaying initiation to alcohol use
What to ask patients abut alcohol use?
- Ask if they have thought about how alcohol affects their medical conditions or medications
- Talk about people in general rather than the individual
- Ask about sleeping patterns
> alcohol and drug helpline (s)
What are the short-term effects caused by alcohol consumption?
- Depresses the central nervous system
- Sleep problems
- Stomach problems
- Heart and circulation problems
What are the long-term effects caused by alcohol consumption?
- Cancer
- Liver problems
- Dementia
- Heart disease and stroke
- Sexual problems
Why do hangovers happen?
Liver breaks down alcohol to acetaldehyde
- build up casuses flushing, nausea and vomitting
Hangovers are a result of this, as well as
- Dehydration
- Nausea from gastric irritation
- Electrolyte imbalance
- Tiredness and hunger from reduce blood glucose
How does alcohol dependence exist in varying degrees?
- May be associated with withdrawal symptoms when drinking stops
- May have difficulty in limiting drinking on any one occasion
What issues are there for alcohol consumption in older people?
- Higher BAC, with age, bodys total water content decreases
- Body’s tolerance for alcohol decreases with age
- Risk of falling increases with older age
- Diriving risks may also be increased
- Many older people also take medications that may interact with alcohol
- People age at diffferent rates, older people who drink need to reassess their drinking regularly
> benefits in preventing heart disease with moderate use but these benefits can be gained in regular exervise, giving up smoking and healthy diet
What is the potential harm in drinking from 18-25 years?
- Increased risk taking
- Loss of inhibitions
- Reduced decision making skills
- Overdose related to tolerance
- Increased risk of accidents
- Violence
- Unwanted sexual activity
Risk of alcohol under 18 years old?
- Risk of alcohol-related problems in later life related to age drinking first started
> children under 15 years of age are at greatest risk of harm for drinking
What are effects on pregnant women drinking on unborn child?
- EtOH enters blood stream of child
- Increase risk to unborn child when drinking above guidelines
- Heavy bouts of drinking maximises that risk
- Lower levels of drinking at which alcohol may cause harm to the child are not yet known
Effects of alcohol in breastfeeding women?
- Bloodstream passes into breast milk
- Advised not to drink at all –> care is advised
What medications are likely to interact with alcohol?
What are some symptoms of alcohol withdrawal and what is the time range for cessation when it occurs?
