Msbia.org

Alcohol use and TBI are closely related. Up to two-thirds of people with TBI have a history of alcohol abuse or risky drinking. Between 30-50% of people with TBI were injured while they were drunk and about one-third were under the influence of other drugs. Around half of those who have a TBI cut down on their drinking or stop altogether after injury, but some people with TBI continue to drink heavily, which increases their risk of having negative After TBI, many people notice their brains are more sensitive to alcohol. r I Model Systems. For a list of
Drinking increases your chances of getting injured again, makes cognitive (thinking) problems worse, and increases your chances of having emotional problems such as depression. In addition, drinking can reduce brain injury recovery. For these reasons, staying away from alcohol is strongly recom- mended to avoid further injury to the brain and to promote as much healing  Recovery from brain injury continues for much longer than we used to think possible. Many people notice improvements for many years after  Alcohol slows down or stops brain injury recovery.  Not drinking is one way to give the brain the best chance to heal. ry produced by the TBI Model
 People’s lives often continue to improve many years after brain injury. Not drinking will increase the chance of improvement. I Center at the University of
 Traumatic brain injury puts survivors at risk for developing seizures  Alcohol lowers the seizure threshold and may trigger seizures. Not drinking can reduce the risk of developing seizures. Alcohol and the risk of having another brain injury  After a brain injury, survivors are at higher risk (3 to 8 times higher) of Copyright 2011 Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC). May be reproduced and distributed freely with appropriate attribution.  Drinking alcohol puts survivors at an even  Avoiding alcohol improves sexual ability and higher risk of having a second brain injury. This may be because both brain injury and alcohol How much alcohol is “safe” after TBI?  Not drinking can reduce the risk of having After TBI the brain is more sensitive to alcohol. This means that even one or two drinks may not be safe, especially when you need to do things that require balance, coordination and quick reactions, such as walking on uneven surfaces, Alcohol and brain injury have similar negative riding a bicycle or driving a car. The fact is, there effects on mental abilities like memory and is no safe level of alcohol use after TBI.  Alcohol magnifies some of the cognitive prob-  Alcohol may affect brain injury survivors more Alcohol is especially dangerous after TBI if you are taking certain prescription medications. Alco-  The negative mental effects of alcohol can last hol can make some medicines less effective and from days to weeks after drinking stops. can greatly increase the effects of others, poten-  Not drinking is one way to keep your mental tially leading to overdose and death. Using alco- abilities at their best and stay sharp and fo- hol along with anti-anxiety medications or pain medications can be highly dangerous because of  Depression is about 8 times more common in the first year after TBI than in the general Alcohol is a drug. Almost everything mentioned above about alcohol applies equally to other  Alcohol is a “depressant” drug, and using alco- drugs. If your drug of choice is something other than alcohol—such as marijuana, cocaine, meth-  Alcohol can reduce the effectiveness of anti- amphetamine or prescription drugs, anti-anxiety depressant medications. People who are taking medications (benzodiazepines such as Ativan, antidepressants should not drink alcohol. Valium, or Xanax), or pain medication (opioids  One way to improve problems with sadness or like Percocet, Oxycodone or Oxycontin)—many depression after TBI is to stop or cut down on of the same principles apply. In addition, use of illegal drugs or misuse of prescription drugs can rain Injur
If you use multiple drugs like alcohol and marijua-na, or alcohol and pain pills, there is a higher risk  Lowered desire is the most common effect of of addiction and overdose. Using alcohol and pain medications together, or alcohol and anti-anxiety Alcohol reduces testosterone production in medications, has killed many people. Contact your doctor if you are drinking and using pre-  Alcohol reduces sexual performance (erection  Alcohol reduces sexual satisfaction in men and The stakes are higher when people choose to use alcohol after having a TBI. Some people Alcohol Use After Traumatic Brain Injury continue drinking after a TBI and don’t have any  Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services desire to change that behavior. Others know they Administration (SAMHSA) is a federal pro- probably should stop or reduce alcohol use, but gram that can help you find a treatment facility  Private treatment: look in the Yellow Pages There are many ways to stop using alcohol or under substance abuse, chemical dependency other drugs and many ways to reduce the poten- tial for harm. The great majority of people who have stopped having alcohol problems did it on their own. They got no professional help or coun- seling and did not use Alcoholics Anonymous For those who don’t want to stop drinking, it is (AA). Don’t underestimate your ability to change still possible to reduce some harm from drinking:  Eat food and drink water before you drink alcohol. This will help reduce the sharp spike in blood alcohol level that can cause nausea, vomiting, falls, blackouts and alcohol poisoning.  Plan your transportation so you don’t drink The key ingredients to changing your drinking and drive: have a non-drinking designated are: (1) find people who will support your efforts driver; plan to spend the night where you are to change your drinking; (2) set a specific goal; doing your drinking; or drink only at home. (3) make clear how you will meet your goal; (4)  To avoid dangerous peaks in blood alcohol identify situations or emotions that can trig- concentrations, drink beer rather than hard ger drinking, and figure out ways to cope with liquor, or mix hard liquor with water instead of those triggers ahead of time; and (5) find ways to reward yourself for sticking to your plan and  Sip your drinks slowly (no more than one per hour). Drinking too fast can make the pleasant If you have questions or concerns about your drinking, there are many ways to get information  Drinking in bars slows some people down because of the expense. However, be sure you Take a confidential on-line drinking assessment: http://www.alcoholscreening.org/.  Take vitamins B1 (thiamine), B12 and folate to reduce the chances of alcohol-related brain Talk to your physician about your concerns, and ask about medications that can help you resist relapse or reduce cravings for alcohol,  Keep your drinking to no more than two drinks per day. Or cut back on certain days of rain Injur
 Psychologists or other counselors in your brain injury rehabilitation program can help  Take a drinking “holiday” (days or weeks when you get started on a treatment program that is you decide not to drink at all). This can remind you of some of the benefits of being sober.  Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) has helped mil- lions of people. There are meetings in most No one can force another person to stop us- tion.org/) and Smart Recovery (http://www. ing alcohol or drugs, but you can have an influ-ence. Attending Al Anon meetings can be a good smartrecovery.org/) are alternatives to AA that do not use the 12-step model. Alcohol Use After Traumatic Brain Injury source of support for a friend or family member of someone who abuses alcohol or drugs, and it can help promote change. Planning an “inter- Our health information content is based on vention” where family and friends confront the research evidence whenever available and repre- sents the consensus of expert opinion of the TBI A program called Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) has been found to work best. CRAFT takes a more positive, motivational approach that helps loved ones make not drink- Alcohol Use After Traumatic Brain Injury was ing more rewarding for the person with the alco- developed by Charles Bombardier, PhD, in col- hol problem. Research has shown that alcoholics laboration with the University of Washington are more likely to go into treatment if their loved Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center. ones follow the CRAFT method. To learn about CRAFT, see the book Get Your Loved One Sober in Disclaimer the Resources section below, or find a counselor This information is not meant to replace the advice from a medical professional. You should consult your health care provider regarding spe- Bombardier, C.H. & Turner,A. (2009). Alcohol and traumatic disability. In R. Frank & T. Elliott (Eds.), The Handbook of Rehabilitation Psychology, Second Edition (pp. 241–258).Washington, DC: American Psychological Association Press.  Brown, J., Corrigan, J., & Hammer, P. (2010). “Substance Abuse and TBI.” Brainline Webcast #4, Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center.  Corrigan, J., & Lamb-Hart, G. (2004). Alcohol, Other Drugs, and Brain Injury. Columbus, Ohio: Ohio Valley Center for Brain Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation, Ohio State Uni- versity Dept. of Physical Medicine and Rehabili- tation. (Available from the Brain Injury Associa-  Meyers, R.J., & Wolfe,B.L. (2004). Get Your Loved One Sober:Alternatives to Nagging, Pleading, and Threatening. Center City, MN: Hazelden Publi- Substance Abuse Resources and Disability Is- Alcohol Use After Traumatic Brain Injury

Source: http://www.msbia.org/files/Alcohol_Use_after_TBI.pdf