1_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2v2sfwfQ84_reducing alcohol consumption
gpt
And before you leave, uh, is it okay if we go over this screening form that you filled out today on your alcohol use?
human
Sure.
gpt
Okay. Uh, thanks for filling this out. Uh, looks like you use alcohol two to three days a week?
human
Yeah, but only on the weekend.
gpt
Okay. And then when you do drink alcohol, you typically have five or six drinks.
human
Yeah. Uh, maybe a couple more.
gpt
Okay. Well, the reason why I like to talk to patients when they fill out this form is because sometimes, uh, alcohol use can impact our health. Um, and my role is to be helpful. I can share some information with you about alcohol use, um, but I don't tell anyone what to do. It's always up to the patient to decide what they wanna do about their drinking. Um, so is it okay if we talk a little bit more about your alcohol use?
human
So, uh, are you saying I drink too much?
gpt
How would you define drinking too much?
human
Well, I-- If-if I was getting fallen down drunk or if I drink every night. Um, it's not like I get sloppy drunk or anything.
gpt
Mm-hmm. Well, in this country, the guidelines are men can drink up to 14 drinks a week or up to four on one occasion and still be low risk.
human
So I'm already at the week limit. And then I have four beers a night. Are you sure?
gpt
So a limit of four a night doesn't feel right to you?
human
I have five or six beers when I go out with friends to a bar. It's not a problem for me.
gpt
You're not alone in feeling that way. Uh, binge drinking can feel normal to some people.
human
Well, I don't consider my drinking binge drinking.
gpt
Why is that?
human
I don't chug a lot of beers in a row. I have about five or six beers throughout the entire evening.
gpt
Mm-hmm. Well, technically, we define binge drinking as having more than four drinks on one occasion.
human
But I'm healthy. What health problems are you talking about?
gpt
Well, uh, we know if someone binge drinks over time, there's kind of two categories of risk. There's the short-term risk where someone who binge drinks is more likely to fall down, hurt themselves through an accident, uh, they're more likely to drive while under the influence. Uh, but over the long term, binge drinking can also, uh, cause things like heart disease, uh, different kinds of cancer, liver problems obviously, and then even mental health issues like depression and anxiety are more likely to happen.
human
Well, I didn't know about those things.
gpt
Can I ask you, uh, what do you like about drinking alcohol?
human
Well, I-I like beer. I like the way it tastes, I like the way it makes me feel. Uh, like when I'm around friends and it's not a problem for me.
gpt
And so what about your drinking do you not like or is there anything that worries you about your drinking?
human
Well, that was fine until I came here, uh, but now that I know about the health risk, uh, I have something I gotta think about.
gpt
So, on one hand, you like how beer tastes, uh, it's part of your social life to some extent, um, but on the other hand, you don't like the idea of it posing risks to your health over the long term?
human
E-exactly.
gpt
So weighing those things, you know, what you like about your drinking, what you don't like about your drinking, uh, where do you wanna go from here? Uh, what would you like to change about your drinking?
human
Hmm, I'm not sure. Uh, something I have to think about.
gpt
Well, how about hypothetically if I were to ask you, how would your drinking have to impact your life in order for you to be ready to change your drinking?
human
Uh, I don't know. Maybe if I got sick or something, uh, maybe I'd wanna change things then.
gpt
So if you experienced a negative consequence from your drinking, uh, that would feel meaningful to you?
human
Yeah.
gpt
Okay. Well, I like to give this handout to patients. Uh, it defines risky drinking, it talks about what the consequences are, uh, and it also lists signs of what an alcohol use disorder is. So thanks again for taking the time to fill this out and being honest with me, uh, to talk about it. I provide better care, uh, when I know about my patient's substance use. When we come back for a three-month follow-up appointment for your ADHD, I'd also like to talk to you and check in about your alcohol use too, if that's okay with you.
human
Sounds good.
gpt
Okay, great. See you next time.