The most popular substance to use is alcohol. This is because alcohol is legal to drink for adults and easily accessible. Unfortunately, because of how accessible alcohol is, many people abuse it and develop alcohol addictions.
Individuals who suffer from alcohol addiction often can’t go long periods without drinking. It’s quite common for people who suffer from alcohol use disorders, which necessitates alcohol addiction treatment, to continue drinking while sick. Drinking while sick is unhealthy though. That’s why it’s so important to drink alcohol in moderation and only when healthy.
Binge drinking is a term that people use to describe the actions of people who drink a large quantity of alcohol in a short amount of time. Technically, binge drinking for a woman is drinking four or more drinks in one single occasion. Binge drinking for a man is drinking five or more drinks in one single occasion.
What is Heavy Drinking?
Heavy drinking is another term used to describe an excessive form of drinking. Technically, heavy drinking for a woman is drinking eight or more drinks in a week. Heavy drinking for a man is drinking 15 or more drinks in a week.
What is Drinking in Moderation?
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, to drink in moderation, adult men should drink no more than two alcoholic drinks in one day. According to these same guidelines, women who want to drink in moderation should drink no more than one alcoholic beverage a day.
What is an Alcohol Addiction?
An alcohol addiction, or alcohol use disorder, is an illness that causes people to not be able to stop themselves from continuing to drink, despite all of the negative effects that drinking alcohol has had on their lives. Because people who suffer from alcohol addiction struggle to stop themselves from drinking at all times, it should be no surprise that individuals who suffer from alcohol addiction often drink alcohol when sick.
What Effect Does Alcohol Have on the Immune System?
Alcohol is a toxin. Thus, when it enters the human body, the kidney and liver try to filter it out of the body. Unfortunately, typically not all of the toxic alcohol gets filtered out.
As a result, when people consume alcohol, it enters their bloodstream and negatively affects the way their brains and bodies function. This is especially true when it comes to the immune system, as alcohol damages the body’s immune cells.
Is It Bad to Drink Alcohol When Sick?
The answer to the question, is it bad to drink alcohol when sick is, yes. Drinking any bit of alcohol when sick can negatively affect one’s health. This is because, as stated earlier, the toxins in alcohol damage the body’s immune cells.
Thus, when the immune system is working overtime to create white blood cells and fight off any viruses or illnesses in the body, drinking alcohol when sick is simultaneously damaging the immune system’s cells. This, in turn, slows down the body’s healing process.
Furthermore, drinking while sick can make a person more sick. This is because consuming alcohol can cause nausea, vomiting, and gastro pain. Drinking alcohol also dries out the body’s system. As a result, people who drink alcohol when already dehydrated can develop headaches and body aches.
What Happens to a Person That Drinks Alcohol While on Medication?
Oftentimes, people who are sick must take medication to recover. Unfortunately, drinking while sick and on medication can have negative bodily effects. This is because alcohol sometimes interacts with a person’s medication in his or her body and limits the medication’s function. Thus, drinking alcohol while on medication can prevent one from getting better.
Drinking while sick and on medication can even lead to organ damage. For example, the drug acetaminophen, which is in many cold and flu medications, mixed with alcohol can cause long-lasting liver damage.
Furthermore, when a person mixes alcohol with the drug chlorpheniramine maleate, which is often found in antihistamine medication used to help people get relief from itchy eyes, sneezing, and other cold-like symptoms, it can cause the person to experience nausea and extreme fatigue.
Even alcohol mixed with a nasal decongestant can cause a person to experience severe headaches and fatigue. This is because a nasal decongestant contains the drug phenylephrine or pseudoephedrine, which doesn’t mix well with alcohol. Because of all of the negative effects that mixing alcohol with different medications can have on the human body, it’s best to avoid drinking while sick and on medication altogether.
Casco Bay Recovery Can Treat Alcohol Addiction So That Individuals Stop Drinking While Sick
Casco Bay Recovery is the leading addiction treatment center in Portland, Maine. Part of the reason why Casco Bay Recovery is such an esteemed addiction treatment center is that we have a client-centered approach to addiction treatment. Thus, we cater to the personal needs of each of our patients.
To personalize our treatment programs, we offer all different forms such as:
On top of all of that, we offer addiction treatment programs for numerous different substances. For example, we offer addiction treatment programs for everything from the following:
We even offer various forms of therapy within each of our treatment programs.
Because we here at Casco Bay Recovery are aware that alcohol is one of the most commonly abused substances, we want to make sure that we educate each individual within our alcohol addiction treatment programs about the dangers of drinking while sick and/or on medication.
For individuals who want to learn more about the different specialized addiction treatment programs that we offer here at Casco Bay Recovery, contact us today. Our staff is waiting for your call.
