Julia Rae Varnes wasn’t surprised when she saw a recent study about adults and their drinking habits.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 38 million adults in the United States drink too much, and only one out of six patients talks honestly to his or her doctor about how much alcohol he or she drinks.
Varnes, a specialist at GatorWell Health Promotion Services, said doctors run into that roadblock frequently.
She said many students have already had someone confront them about their drinking habits and don’t feel like getting another lecture from their doctor. And busy physicians rarely feel they have the time to cajole truthful answers from patients.
This combination can be dangerous.
“If a doctor wants to prescribe you a medication, they need to know what kinds of things you are consuming,” she said. “If you’re using anything that might affect how a medication is going to work for you, a doctor may decide to give you something else.”
Oliver Tranter, a UF building construction freshman, said he wasn’t shocked by the study either, and he agreed that doctors can seem disapproving.
“It’s kind of frowned upon by them to drink a lot,” he said.
But Varnes said a serious issue underlies the awkward situation of discussing alcohol consumption with a doctor.
She said alcohol can impact the immune system and make it more susceptible to diseases. It can also affect students’ academics.
“I would advise students to be honest with their doctors,” Varnes said. “They might ask if they’ve considered decreasing the amount they drink, but they’re not going to sit there and give them a 15-minute lecture. They don’t have time for that either.”
Varnes said doctors will not say a lot to sway students’ minds about alcohol. Studies have shown that short pep talks are most effective because the student is the one who decides to make the change.
“When you talk about your drinking, the doctor won’t say, ‘Oh, you can’t be my patient anymore,’” Varnes said.
She said overall her biggest concern is the health and safety of the students.
“It’s heartbreaking to hear about a student death related to alcohol,” she said.
A version of this story ran on page 4 on 1/10/2014 under the headline "Patients drinking, then lying to doctors about how much"
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a study saying Americans may be drinking too much alcohol and then lying to their doctors about how much they drink. A UF expert said this can be dangerous.
