I will never forget the intense agony I was in the morning after I drank while taking a specific antibiotic. At the time, I was very active in my alcohol addiction. I was a daily drinker, and on many days (including weekdays), I began drinking well before 2 p.m. I was in college at the time, and I wasn’t taking care of my body the way I should have been: late nights, little sleep, inadequate nutrition, and very little exercise.
On top of that, I was guzzling booze like it was going out of style. I wound up developing a pretty nasty case of pneumonia, and I was put on antibiotics to help speed the healing process along. Unfortunately, the on-campus doctor gave me only one specific instruction, “Don’t drink any alcoholic beverages while you’re taking this antibiotic.” Seems simple enough, right?
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You Couldn’t Get Drunk While Taking Antibiotics
Unfortunately, the idea of going seven full days without so much as a single sip of alcohol seemed entirely impossible. The same night I started taking antibiotics, I found myself in a social environment. Mind you; I still had a full-blown case of pneumonia at the time. I was not planning on drinking. Before I left the house, I told myself, “You can do this. You can have fun without alcohol. All you have to do is avoid alcohol for seven days; you can do this.”
Of course, it wasn’t but 30 minutes later that I found myself with a red solo cup in hand, filled to the brim with cheap, warm wine. The next morning I was so physically ill I couldn’t even walk. I spent the entire day in the bathroom praying to the porcelain God. I realized two things at that moment; I couldn’t get drunk while taking antibiotics, and I was probably an alcoholic.
Getting Drunk While You Are On Antibiotics
Some antibiotics result in side effects like dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and drinking while taking these antibiotics can lead to more severe side effects. Other antibiotics have extremely negative interactions with alcohol, and drinking should be avoided at all costs. As a general rule of thumb, people only take antibiotics when they’re sick. When you are sick, your immune system is already weak, and guess what? Alcohol will inevitably weaken your immune system even further.
So if you have been getting drunk regularly while taking antibiotics, you are not doing your body any favors. If you believe you might have an alcohol abuse disorder because you have difficulty avoiding alcohol while on antibiotics, we are available to help.
Recreate Life Counseling and Alcohol Addiction Recovery
At Recreate Life Counseling, we help men and women of all ages overcome alcohol abuse and dependence. Because social drinking is so prevalent in the U.S., it can be difficult to determine whether you are struggling with a diagnosable alcohol abuse disorder or if you are simply having a little too much fun. There are several questions we recommend asking yourself if you believe you might have a drinking problem. It is important to remember that not all alcoholics are daily drinkers.
When you do consume alcohol, do you often drink more than you intended? Do you promise yourself you’ll only have one drink, then end up drinking far more than you wanted to? Have you suffered any personal consequences as a direct result of your drinking? Have your loved ones expressed concerns about your drinking habits, or have your primary physician recommended you cut back on your alcohol intake?
Overcome Alcohol Abuse at Recreate Life Counseling
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you might want to consider taking an honest look at your drinking habits. Unfortunately, admitting you have a problem can be extremely difficult to do. Still, if you have avoided taking antibiotics so you can continue drinking or if you have gotten drunk while taking antibiotics, it is a good idea to consider why. Contact us today if you have any additional questions regarding alcohol abuse, dependence, or recovery from alcoholism.