S1: Welcome in San Diego. I'm Jade Hyndman. On today's Wellness Wednesday we are talking about the health impacts of alcohol on our body. This is KPBS Midday Edition. Connecting our communities through conversation. Many people kick off the New Year by taking part in Dry January. It's a time to reflect on and reset your drinking habits after raising glass after glass to toast in the holidays. Well , this year , Dry January started with a call to action by the US Surgeon General to put warning labels on alcoholic beverages , as growing research shows , they're a leading cause of preventable cancer. And that's not the only negative health effect. Doctor Jennifer O is a transplant hepatologist and gastroenterologist , and she's also in charge of the liver cancer program at Scripps Cancer Center. And Doctor Al , you say alcohol use often brings people into your practice ? That is correct. Well , tell me more about that. I mean , what kind of health impacts can alcohol have ? It seems like it's pretty broad.
S2: It is very broad. It is innumerable. You can have health effects as simple as the average hangover the day after being dehydrated. You can have stomach discomfort , worsening acid reflux. And a lot of times we see people coming in with diseases as severe as liver failure. Mhm.
S1: Mhm.
S2: I do agree that there are a lot of health detriments related to alcohol. In some ways , I thought it was good that he said that there should be warning labels , but I was actually a little bit surprised that he took it that far.
S1:
S2: Yeah.
S1: Yeah. Well , going back to what you said , you said that you were surprised that , uh , that he took it that far.
S2: You know , I think that definitely education is needed and warning people , but , um , to put the label on it , I thought in some ways it's is a very good move because I appreciate that it will make people pause before they just drink. But it does , um , add a lot more stigma potentially to it , which , you know , can can lead to other issues.
S1:
S2: And I think this is the hard part of it all , because everybody is so different. And so , you know , what may be okay for you is probably not okay for one of your loved ones , for your neighbor down the street. And so I think we all just have to realize that just because my friend is drinking five drinks a day does not mean that is okay for me. For me , maybe even one is not okay. So I think a lot of times it is important to talk to your doctor to make sure and get a better idea of how much might actually be safe for me. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. Everyone's different. Exactly.
S2: Exactly.
S1: Well , how do you square that with advice ? That. Hey , a glass of red wine is good for your heart. Right.
S2: Right. And I think , again , it depends on the person. So maybe , you know , based on your genetic profile and your risk factors , you are somebody who maybe should have a glass of wine and and maybe it's a day. Maybe it's less than once a day. But if you are somebody who has had a history of liver disease or has a family history of of liver problems especially , I mean , that would be a situation where I would say maybe that routine regular alcohol use is not appropriate for you. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. Yeah. It's like you gotta weigh that out. Yeah.
S2: Yeah. Weigh the risks and the benefits. Right.
S1: Right.
S2: Um , I mean , we've seen a lot more accidents , preventable accidents as a result of alcohol drinking. Um , in the liver transplant world , we have seen a rise in the number of patients presenting with alcohol related liver diseases who then go on to need transplants. Um , and , you know , on a day to day basis , there are a lot of people who suffer , as I mentioned , sort of the milder effects and symptoms of alcohol use , such as , you know , the worsening acid reflux disease , you know , stomach discomfort , those kinds of issues , headaches.
S1: What are the different factors we should be thinking about when deciding whether or not to drink or how much feels right for us.
S2: Yeah , I think a lot of times it shouldn't. Should be a conversation with your health care providers , with your primary care doctor or other specialists who knows you really well. Um , who has , you know , done a thorough investigation into your medical history and your family's medical history. But , you know , some considerations are. Have you had a gastric bypass in the past ? Those patients are at much higher risk for alcohol related liver injury. A lot of times they are not really well aware of that fact. And so oftentimes can get into a lot of problems as a result of use post-surgery. Um , other factors are you know , what what how do your labs look ? Is your cholesterol really bad ? Is , you know , what do your liver tests look like ? Are you feeling okay on a day to day basis ? What symptoms do you have that potentially would be exacerbated by that alcohol use.
S1: This is KPBS Midday Edition. We're back after the break. Welcome back to KPBS Midday Edition. I'm Jade Hindman. We are continuing our conversation about the health impacts of drinking alcohol. What about if people drink ? Um , but not to the point of feeling drunk.
S2: That's the interesting thing. That sensation of being drunk does not really correlate to degrees of damage within the body all the time. So just because you say , you know what ? I have five drinks and I don't feel anything doesn't mean that that's a safe amount for you to be drinking.
S1:
S2: You really can't. A lot of times I know. So I think that's in some ways where general guidelines of alcohol consumption can be beneficial , where it says , you know , don't don't drink in excess. Maybe only drink one glass a day. If you're going to drink more , try to be thoughtful and mindful about it , and then follow regularly with a health care provider. To also get a better sense of is that alcohol use causing me more health effects that potentially , you know , I need to be more mindful of and therefore cut back on my alcohol use as a result of.
S1: Yeah , well , you know , drinking alcohol is so deeply ingrained in American culture.
S2: Um , these days I think there is a nice movement where you're we're seeing restaurants offer more mocktails , which I think is wonderful. But I do see people who tell me , you know , all my friends , we hang out at the bar every day , we go get drinks , and I can't be without a drink. Um , and I And I think that's tough. You know , you don't want to cut people off from their support system. You don't want to isolate them. At the same time , you don't want people to continue to do things that are detrimental to them.
S1:
S2: So some mocktails are made with those with alcoholic free spirits , which in the world of people having liver , severe liver disease , cirrhosis , even those spirits are not safe to be drinking. So for those people , I say , you know , those mocktails , even though technically they're marketed as completely as alcohol free , they are not completely alcohol free , and they are not safe for you. Um , for others who don't have that degree of liver dysfunction or who are just looking to maybe move away from from so much alcohol and maybe less calories , I do think it is a nice alternative to offer.
S1: Well , like tell me this.
S2: In the end , it's all equal. Alcohol is alcohol. Beer is really the alcohol. And beer is no better than the alcohol. And wine is really no better than the alcohol in a spirit. It's , you know , it's just the amount of alcohol that you're taking in. So some people will say , well , I'm drinking a light beer ? Isn't light better for me ? Well , it's light and that it has less calories than your average beer. But there still is that percentage of alcohol in there , which is , in the end , causing damage.
S1: And , you know , I mean alcohol , it's touted as a way to unwind , to relieve stress.
S2: As you mentioned , it's a depressant. I mean , it helps relax. And part of it , I think again , it's the way it's marketed. It's the culture of it. Um , it's not always the way you feel , because a lot of people will tell me they had their glass of wine to unwind , but then the next day they have these horrible headaches and they don't feel good. So was there really a benefit of that , or was it that , you know , you're you are feeling into , you feel like you have to have that wine to help you unwind and therefore that's why you're utilizing it. But it's not really truly providing that benefit that you want it to be.
S1:
S2: I really tell them to avoid anything that is similar in flavor to alcohol. Again , like those non-alcoholic beers , they still have a small proportion of alcohol , but also it's that flavor they're not really trying to get over or trying to overcome , and they need to really work to overcome that alcohol addiction. So in those situations , I say , you know , if we can , we try to find another outlet for our stress. And so this is where a where a lot of times support groups can come into play. You know , there are groups like Alcoholics Anonymous that have been around forever or you know , there is um , other there are other ones. There's , you know , smart therapy and there's other different types of groups that are available to help people. And I think that oftentimes they can try to help you retrain your brain or find other outlets to relieve your stress. Other than alcohol. So I do think that trying to engage in , um , exercise often can be helpful , you know , releasing those endorphins that can help you relax. Obviously , that requires a time commitment. And a lot of times with our busy lives. People feel that they don't have the ability to get out there or go to the gym or go for a run. The weather's too cold , but I think that is a wonderful way to try to release stress that doesn't involve potentially putting harmful chemicals into your body.
S1: Do you have any advice for someone who maybe has been a long time drinker , who may be looking to stop or reduce their drinking.
S2: Yeah , I think that if it's something that you are seriously considering , um , and a lot of times people are fearful of that because they've been drinking very heavily. It is always a good idea to potentially start by talking to your physician and seeing if , while cutting back and stopping , if potentially you need a little more support , whether it be um , with additional medications or closer monitoring to help you stop drinking. Um , but looking into different support groups can be very , very helpful. Looking at your community center , looking online. There are a lot of options there. Um , and sometimes , you know , talking to your really close friends and loved ones and you'd be surprised at how many people these days are actually making a move to cut back or to stop drinking. And people are oftentimes afraid to talk about it because they are afraid that their loved ones are going to chastise them or going to ostracize them. But in fact , it is oftentimes the opposite. Now.
S1: Doctor Jennifer O is a transplant hepatologist and gastroenterologist. She is also in charge of the liver cancer program at Scripps Cancer Center. Doctor al , thank you so much for sharing your insight with us today.
S2: Thank you.
S1: That's our show for today. I'm your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.
