Doctors should normalize questions about drinking habits, guideline says – GLOBAL

October 24, 2023

Many doctors are on board with new guidelines urging them to ask patients about alcohol use, but they also note hurdles – people lose track of how much they drink, some lie, and many don’t know what constitutes a single serving.

Dr. Ginette Poulin, a general practitioner specializing in addiction medicine in Manitoba and Ontario, said it’s important for doctors to normalize these conversations because early detection of high-risk drinking is key to preventing serious health problems, the same as routine screening for diabetes or high blood pressure.

“If people disclose to you, ‘I drink about two drinks in the evening,’ you could probably safely double what is said as a practitioner to gauge where their drinking is really at because we know people feel shameful,” she said.

Read more: https://globalnews.ca/news/10045029/alcohol-use-screening-guideline/