Posted by noa on September 25, 2000, at 15:55:33
In reply to Alcohol + Medication = Disaster, posted by Larry on September 24, 2000, at 18:09:57
I don't know if you are alone in it.
I can't say with such certainty that total abstinance is needed, but I do believe people should be very serious about caution.
I am and never have been a real drinker--what you might call a rare social drinker (every couple of months I might have a glass of wine or a small amount of liqueur), but on meds, I am even more conservative. I find that the effect is intensified, so if I am somewhere where I might want to have a drink, I will do so only if I do not have to drive at all afterward. Even then I am reluctant most of the time, and if I do drink it is a small amount because I do have respect for how powerful these chemicals are that I put into my body.
I don't think it is necessarily the case that people have to abstain altogetether, but it is my impression that there are many people that I have met who want to continue to have alcohol be a regular part of their social lives just as before being on meds, and I do worry about them not taking it seriously enough.
But the truth is, there are too many people in this country who are overdoing the alcohol anyway, with or without meds. And for many families, it is a force that perpetuates a lot of suffering of various kinds.
I am not anti-alcohol. It is nice to be able to enjoy it with friends, and it is great at relaxing the inhibitions, which are such an impediment for so many people, but in our country, and others, it seems the excessiveness of it all is a real problem. And that people come to feel they must have alcohol when socializing. But excess is a trademark of our culture anyway, whether it is food, drink, possessions, whatever.
Sorry for going off on all these tangents. Just some thoughts, fwiw.
poster:noa
thread:45219
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000905/msgs/45274.html