Call 888-647-0579 to speak with an alcohol or drug abuse counselor.

Who Answers?

Alcohol abuse may resume after critical surgery

Alcohol abuse could return after critical surgery .

critical surgery

Life-saving surgery to prevent repeated severe bleeding from ruptured veins in the esophagus or upper stomach may not induce some patients with alcoholic liver disease to stop drinking alcohol, researchers report.

Such a surgical procedure may be necessary to reduce the pressure in the veins of the esophagus and upper stomach among patients with cirrhosis, a scarring of the liver frequently caused by alcohol abuse.

The study group consisted of 132 patients with cirrhosis, including 78 with alcoholic liver disease, lead author Dr. Michael R. Lucey, of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, and colleagues report.

The investigators used patient and family member interviews to determine drinking patterns among 132 cirrhosis patients with who had surgically implanted shunts to reduce the pressure in their esophageal and upper stomach veins.

Twenty to 40 percent of patients with alcoholic liver disease acknowledged alcohol use during 5 years after receiving the pump. About one third of those with alcoholic liver disease reported drinking more than four alcoholic drinks per day during follow-up, the researchers report in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

The patients with alcoholic liver disease were twice as likely to drink alcohol during follow-up as patients with cirrhosis from other causes.

Continued alcohol use among patient with alcoholic liver disease was associated with a 153 percent increase in gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), a liver enzyme indicative of liver disease. These patients also had a significantly increased risk repeat hemorrhage and death.

Lucey and colleagues conclude that a “substantial minority” of patients will return to drinking alcohol after experiencing a life-threatening complication. They recommend that patients with alcoholic liver disease should be encouraged to abstain from alcohol.
____________
source: American Journal of Gastroenterology

More Treatment & Detox Articles

Coping with Depression in Drug Treatment

When you go into drug treatment there’s always a chance that you will suffer bouts of depression along the way. Depression is a serious condition and coping with depression on top of all the other thoughts and conditions that you are dealing with in drug treatment can be difficult. But, who said the road to….

Recognizing the Need for Alcohol Addiction Treatment

It’s never too late to seek help for an addiction to alcohol but there are some ways that we can learn to recognize the need for alcohol addiction treatment long before the severe consequences and physical illness begin to fully set in. If you or someone you love drinks alcohol regularly, there’s a chance that….

Exercise ‘does not compensate’ for drinking too much

Sweating off alcohol does not work even though some believe exercise helps you get over a hangover, ministers have said. Research published by the Department of Health suggests more than 3.8 million adults in England try to exercise to clear a hangover. A survey by YouGov found that one in five people admit to playing….

How Free Treatment Centers Help Patients

Not all treatment is created equally. Free treatment centers, though they may not offer luxuries such as spa treatments or exquisite settings, can help patients overcome addiction. Free treatment centers provide counseling, support and even medications in some cases. Drug or alcohol addiction can cause devastating consequences for the user, the loved ones and everyone….

Montana needs alcohol culture change

Montana’s culture of drinking and driving isn’t going to change overnight, but with enough clear-eyed determination and statewide support, we can get started down the road that will lead us there. By now it should be apparent to every resident that Montana needs to change its relationship with alcohol. Incredibly, there are still a lot….