April is Alcohol Awareness Month, and for the travel nurse, it marks a time to deepen patients' understanding about alcohol. The nationwide campaign, launched by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, exposes the health problems caused by excessive drinking. Not only does dependency on alcohol spell trouble for your body, it also can also cause social problems and strain relationships with family and friends.
You are in a special position to intervene with patients' alcohol problems and offer solutions and encouragement. In fact, regular information and advice sessions for nurses could help 40 percent of dependent drinkers to give up alcohol completely, according to the Royal College of Nursing's 2010 International Research.
"This research adds to the growing bank of evidence showing the value nurses can provide in helping to reduce the harm caused by excessive drinking," Dr. Peter Carter, chief executive and general secretary of the RCN, said in a press release. "The time nurses spend with patients provides a valuable window of opportunity to encourage people to think about whether they might be drinking too much and to signpost them to further information and advice."
Binge drinking
Nearly 95 percent of people who suffer from alcoholism don't know they have it, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found. People of all personalities may be susceptible to it, and excessive drinking hits home more than we think – especially in the form of binge drinking.
For men, binge drinking is defined as consuming five or more drinks during a single occasion and for women, consuming four or more drinks during a single occasion. A national survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found 1 in 6 adults in the U.S. binge drinks about four times a month. More than half of the alcohol consumed by adults in the country is in the form of excessive drinking. While college students have a reputation of boozing long past the point of intoxication, binge drinkers aged 65 years and older report binge drinking more often, at an average of five to six times a month.
Health problems
There are an array of health problems associated with alcohol abuse. Here are the most common:
- chronic disease, such as liver cirrhosis (damage to liver cells); various cancers, including liver, throat, mouth, larynx and esophagus
- high blood pressure
- psychological disorders
- alcohol-induced injuries, such as falls, burns, broken bones and motor-vehicle crashes
- violence to one's self and others
- harm to a developing fetus if a woman drinks while pregnant
- sudden infant death syndrome
- alcohol abuse or dependence
Immediate effects of drinking
Typically, people who are intoxicated aren't hard to spot. There are a number of telltale signs, including the following:
- breath smells like alcohol
- loss of balance and motor skills
- slurred speech
- dilation of blood vessels, causing a feeling of warmth but resulting in rapid loss of body heat
Symptoms of alcoholism
Recognizing these signs of excess drinking and alcoholism can help those on travel nurse jobs identify patients who may need help:
- being unable to limit the amount of alcohol
- feeling the need or urge to drink
- drinking alone or hiding one's drinking
- experiencing physical withdrawal symptoms such as sweating, shaking or nausea when without alcohol
- failing to remember events, conversations or commitments, referred to as a "black out"
- loss of interest in activities that used to bring pleasure
In addition, young adults have an increased risk of problems pertaining to alcohol abuse, from impeded brain development, poor school performance and higher risk of dependence. Regardless of a patient's age, those working travel nursing jobs should use this month to start sharing the effects of alcoholism and binge drinking. Passing this information to patients will help in the month of April and throughout the year.