Summer Days and the Dangers of Alcohol

 

Summertime is all about outdoor BBQ’s, lounging by the pool, being out in the sun by the beach or at the lake, hanging out with family or friends…all with a cool drink in your hands. A lot of people think about and consume beer, canned or fresh cocktails, spritzers, hard seltzers, hard teas and lemonades, and wine coolers. There are unlimited options and advertisers do their best to convince you these drinks are “cooling”, “refreshing” and/or “relaxing.” What could possibly be better? 

However, combining the summer heat and alcohol can be dangerous. It can lead to anything ranging from a really bad day to a downright deadly one if you don’t understand how summer and alcohol mix. 

Summer heat is the first danger to be alert to. Most people are not drinking any or enough water to stay safely hydrated. When someone is not hydrated enough, several things start to happen: 

1) You get hot in the heat and begin to sweat, which is totally normal. This is how the body cools itself off. But this loss of fluid is a problem if you don’t have fluid going in to make up for what is going out. 

2) You grab an alcoholic drink to hydrate, but alcohol is a diuretic. Basically, it makes you urinate more so in turn, you lose more fluid. 

3) After sweating and urinating, you are more dehydrated than when you started. Add in a little buzz from that beer or other alcoholic drink (or two, or three), and you also don’t particularly care or realize you are dehydrated. 

4) If you happen to vomit for any reason, the fluid loss is even worse. 

5) Every drop of sweat and alcoholic drink is creating a vicious cycle. 

Eventually, your cooling system is going to breakdown in this scenario. Your body only works in a small temperature range. Alcohol can mess up your ability to know that you are in danger. As it gets worse, the warning signs of severe illness can be ignored. Heat stroke can occur which is life threatening and requires immediate emergency medical attention. (The signs of heat stroke are: headache, dizziness, disorientation, confusion, loss of consciousness, hallucinations and seizures). During a heat stroke, your body temperature is high, and your organs are “cooking”. A lot of these symptoms seem like how a drunk person might act so your friends may not notice a problem, especially if they have also been drinking. 

Another summer alcohol danger is the lack of safety awareness that comes with alcohol intake. Otherwise normal summertime activities can become dangerous when alcohol gets mixed in. Alcohol can decrease you gag reflex. Suddenly you can’t clear your airway as well in the water and you can get water in lungs easier and drown. This is compounded when your judgment is impaired and you are less aware of your limits and distance and swim out farther than you should or can’t find your way out of the water because the alcohol has you a bit confused or disoriented. Boating accidents, car accidents, slips, trips, and falls all increase with alcohol leading to injuries as severe as paralysis and death. 

If you are struggling to control your alcohol consumption, please call us at Pathway Healthcare for an assessment and treatment plan. We can help you reduce or completely eliminate your alcohol intake which will lead to better health overall. Thankfully, there are many alternatives to alcohol on the market that actually hydrate the body so you can enjoy the summer heat outdoors safely.

Pathway Healthcare – 844.728.4929 or visit https://pathwayhealthcare.com/to find a location near you.

Author: Shelly Southworth, BSN RN 

References 

Why Quality Care Matters

Pathway Healthcare

There continues to be so much stigma associated with addiction and mental health disorders. Many people continue to view these disorders as lifestyle choices rather than diseases. Because of the stigma, many have received less than adequate care to treat their disease, including the underlying issues that have contributed to their disease. We have seen the result of the lack of quality care as the number of cases of overdoses and mental health related issues have continued to rise. 

We have responded by increasing access to our psychiatric team of professionals and addiction specialists.

At Pathway Healthcare, our professionals understand the disease of addiction and mental health disorders. Dr. Stephen Taylor, Director of Behavioral Care says, “We treat our patients with compassionate care and take the time to truly understand and empathize with them individually. We want to guide our patients along the journey from illness and suffering to wellness and wholeness. This is our philosophy of exceptional, quality care. We could never be satisfied with providing anything less.”

Dr. Stephen Taylor is a quadruple-board-certified practitioner and psychiatrist with over 20 years of practice experience with specialized care to adolescent and young adult patients and their families afflicted with drug and alcohol addictions and general psychiatric disorders. He holds a number of degrees from Harvard College, Howard University College of Medicine, and the Harvard School of Public Health. In addition, Dr. Taylor is the Medical Director of the Player Assistance/Anti-Drug Program of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), a Program Dr. Taylor designed and implemented. 


About Pathway Healthcare
Our proprietary approach to MAT is MATPlus®, our wrap-around services, and commitment to long-term treatment sets our MAT treatment apart from the rest. We offer peer support and individual, family, and group counseling opportunities, including psychiatric care and medication management. Our professionals are specialists in addiction and mental health communities and are passionate about recovery and committed to their patient’s long-term maintenance of sobriety and behavioral health.

Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) is a treatment approach that combines behavioral counseling with medication. Counseling is the main focus of MAT, and a prescription for medication is provided under the guidance of a medical doctor. Medication options for MAT are Buprenorphine, Naloxone, and Suboxone. What makes MAT the most effective treatment program is its provision of custom patient treatment plans developed based on each patient’s unique cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

Medication-Assisted Treatment provides freedom that allows patients to keep their job, family life, and social obligations. Essentially, a patient learns how to recover in their typical day to day setting. This is beneficial as many patients who leave their normal environments for treatment experience difficulty returning and trying to cope as they respond to the stimulants that remind them of their past behavior.

For more information, visit www.pathwayhealthcare.com.

Medication-Assisted Treatment (MATPLUS®)

Pathway Healthcare Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT)

MATPlus®

Our proprietary approach to MAT is MATPlus®, our wrap-around services, and commitment to long-term treatment sets our MAT treatment apart from the rest. We offer peer support and individual, family, and group counseling opportunities. Our Pathway and Impact medical professionals are specialist in the addiction and mental health communities and are passionate about recovery and committed to their patient’s long-term maintenance of sobriety and behavioral health.

About Medication-Assisted Treatment

Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) is a treatment approach that combines behavioral counseling with medication. Counseling is the main focus of MAT, and a prescription for medication is provided under the guidance of a medical doctor. What makes MAT the most effective treatment program is its provision of custom patient treatment plans developed based on each patient’s unique cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

The treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) and addiction has progressed substantially over the past 50 years. We have an excellent arsenal of therapies to combat this chronic disease and evidence shows us that to have productive, long-term positive outcomes treatments must combine medication with other services like medical, behavioral, individual, and group counseling.

Medication-Assisted Treatment provides freedom that allows patients to keep their job, family life, and social obligations. Essentially, a patient learns how to recover in their typical day to day setting. This is beneficial as many patients who leave their normal environments for treatment experience difficulty returning and trying to cope as they respond to the stimulants that remind them of their past behavior.

Medication Options

Medication options for MAT are Buprenorphine, Naloxone, and Suboxone. These medications have different ways of stabilizing patients and should be recommended by a doctor to decide which is the best option for each patient.

Cost of Medication-Assisted Treatment

Medication-Assisted Treatment is a low-cost option compared to the high expense of illegal drug use, inpatient or residential treatment, or the considerable fees of relapse associated with programs without effective treatment plans.

Smoking Cessation

About Smoking Cessation

Tobacco use often can create tobacco/nicotine dependence and develop smoking-related diseases. Smokers can quit smoking; tobacco/nicotine dependence is treatable. In fact, today, fewer people do smoke than those who do not.

Smoking Cessation Treatment

Our treatment approach for smoking cessation begins with understanding that evidence shows that like other substance use disorders, tobacco/nicotine dependence is best treated with a combination of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and behavioral counseling. Our holistic, MATPlus® approach to treatment allows for a successful path to recovery from tobacco/nicotine dependence.

Medication for Smoking Cessation

Medication options for smoking cessation are Wellbutrin and Chantix. Both drugs are FDA-approved, and under the care and guidance of Pathway or Impact Healthcare physician, the best medication for each individual can be identified.