Alcohol ·
Alcohol can help to relax you, reduce stress and stimulate your appetite, if taken in moderation. The recommendation is that men should drink no more than 3-4 units a day and women 2-3. A unit of alcohol is equivalent to a glass of wine, a pub measure of spirits or a half-pint of normal strength beer. That doesn’t mean it’s OK to drink a week’s worth in one session at the weekend – binge drinking is more harmful than regular moderate drinking.
Heavy drinking can affect your liver function and result in long-term ill health, which may be physical, psychological or both. Because alcohol is a depressive drug, it can affect your mental, psychological or emotional wellbeing.
Alcohol and HIV
Moderate drinking is not thought to be harmful to people with HIV. However, again it will depend on the individual and whether there are other things to consider such as blood fats and other infections such as hepatitis. If you have hepatitis C or chronic hepatitis B, any alcohol puts a severe strain on the liver and it is best to stop drinking altogether.
Heavy drinking as for other individuals has a negative impact on health, and for people with HIV there are added risks. Heavy drinking can affect the immune system and leave individuals more open to infection. For someone with HIV the risk is greater because the virus will also have weakened the immune system.
Alcohol and antiretroviral therapy
There are no significant interactions between any currently available antiretroviral therapy and alcohol. However, those who drink heavily and are taking antiretroviral therapy may be more likely to experience side effects. In addition, antiretrovirals can increase the amount of bad cholesterol in the body (low density lipoproteins ‘LDL’), and heavy drinking may make this worse.
If you are sick as a result of alcohol within an hour of taking your antiretroviral therapy or other medications you have been advised to take, you should retake the appropriate dose. As alcohol can react badly with certain medications, you should check with your pharmacist about the medications you are taking and any reactions with alcohol.
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