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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU To assume people tell fibs to their Dr about how much they drink?

289 replies

Diel · 26/09/2016 18:36

I went to see my GP recently and he asked how much alcohol I drink, I was about to give my usual 14 units answer but decided to tell the truth and say about 3 bottles of wine a week. GP looked horrified and told me I absolutely must stop this. This isn't news to me as I know it's more that I should drink but he then asked if it's because I can't sleep, um, no, it's because I love wine. Anyhow, surely I'm not alone? Or do people just not admit to this vice?

OP posts:
Threebedsemii · 27/09/2016 10:07

A lot of people (on here at least, never heard this IRL) think the recommended limits are related to alcohol dependancy. They have nothing to do with that. The recommended limit is an arbitrarily set amount at which it is thought your long term health could be affected (as a PP mentioned - the amount at which someone with existing health problems but see some health related effect of alcohol)

It's not related to whether you have a drinking problem. That is very complex and there are many more factors at play.

Yorkieheaven · 27/09/2016 10:08

Chatted to dh about this and he said the GP discussed drinking and he said nothing in the week and a couple of shared bottles at the weekend. Plus maybe 2 pints.

GP said that was fairly normal and didn't seem excessive but not to up it.

As a nurse I do find the concept of shy health care professional falling off a chair at anything really unless it's their first 3 months.

I have seen maggots crawling out of stumps, a poor lady with a gangrenous vagina and had to manually evacuate ( pull poo out of arse ) of s tramp.

Dont think most GPs would bat an eyelid at 3 bottles of wine a week.

KnitsBakesAndReads · 27/09/2016 10:11

I once spoke to the practice nurse because I'd suddenly gained quite a lot of weight without any change in my diet or exercise and I wondered if it might be a side effect of the pill.

She asked me how much I drank and I said I don't drink at all. Presumably she didn't believe me as she spent ages telling me how many calories there are in alcohol and how cutting down drinking would help me lose weight. I repeated about three times that I don't drink alcohol but she still carried on. Very strange!

BillSykesDog · 27/09/2016 10:14

Just over one bottle a week is the average. It's about 11 units. That includes people who don't drink though, so for those who drink it's probably more like a bottle and a half.

Yorkieheaven · 27/09/2016 10:14

Knits that's ridiculous she's clearly not listening and risks missing the real cause. Very unprofessional and rude.

Threebedsemii · 27/09/2016 10:15

Yeah im with you yorky- what kind of GP isn't treating lots of actual alcoholics?

I think there is a fair bit of fibbing or Urban legend on this thread

BarbaraofSeville · 27/09/2016 10:31

This link says that the average annual consumption of pure alcohol is about 10 litres per person per year, which google tells me is about 1000 units, so just under 20 a week. But I don't know how accurate it is, because I CBA to read it properly, but I do know it mentions home brew and imported alcohol.

Someone upthread said that the amount of alcohol sold in the UK adds up to more units than people are admitting to.

I think it could be quite hard to accurately estimate all the alcohol drunk - what about that used in cooking? Or stuff that is spilt or thrown away? Or never drunk -- I have stuff hanging round for years sometimes (weird holiday liqueurs etc).

It's OK saying none of that will be significant, but when I went through my gin phase, pretty much all the gin I drank came from abroad - either DP or I travel abroad several times a year and would always bring back a litre or two of gin each time.

When I drink gin instead of wine, a bottle lasts about a month - which to me seems horrifically high, but a litre contains 40-50 units, so about 10 or so units a week, so OK and about the same alcohol consumption rate as when I drink wine, which is a relief, but not an insignificant consumption level.

Yorkieheaven · 27/09/2016 10:33

agree Three you are taught as a HCP to not judge or criticise but listen and support.

Maybe the GP was pissed and that's why he fell off the chair Grin

StrawberryQuik · 27/09/2016 10:42

Of my friends the dr is probably the heaviest drinker Grin

laidlow · 27/09/2016 10:47

Interesting, I had no idea doctors assumed patients were drinking more than they admitted. I've always erred on the higher side of my estimate, as I get support from my CMHT and I'm always worried they'll discharge me if they think I'm coping too well. They must think I'm getting bladdered every night!

Gottagetmoving · 27/09/2016 10:51

If you lie about it then you probably feel guilty about it. I would think lying about it is a sign that you could get a problem with drinking.
I don't see the point of lying. The Doctor doesn't judge you but he can advise you.
I used to drink 3 bottles of wine a week but now it is just one bottle ( in one night, not spread over the week) mainly because as you get older you feel more shit the next day.

FfionFlorist · 27/09/2016 11:30

It frustrates me that drs assume you're lying. It's dangerous. My dm had pancreatitis and they assumed she was a drinker. She told them she doesn't drink. Then they assumed she was a secret drinker. She isn't. They were barking up the wrong tree, they spent valuable time in icu focusing on an assumed medical history that was wrong. Their assumptions could have killed her.

Miiow · 27/09/2016 11:34

It frustrates me that drs assume you're lying

Going from this thread is seems like Drs are correct to assume people are probably lying. It must be even more frustrating for them.

3Eggses · 27/09/2016 11:42

I don't lie, but this year I think I've had 2 cocktails and 3 glasses of prosecco, so I don't need to.

GoofyTheHero · 27/09/2016 11:47

The Doctor doesn't judge you but he can advise you.

But surely the advice would just be 'drink less'? If people are lying about it they probably know they drink more than the advised amount and are choosing to do so. I doubt a GP telling them what they already know would make much of a difference.
I have no idea how much I drink. Some weeks morning, some weeks I may have 3 bottles of wine over the week. So id tell me GP (if they ever asked, they haven't so far) that I drank moderately.

BarryTheKestrel · 27/09/2016 11:53

I don't lie, but they don't believe me. On Sunday I had 2 glasses of wine with lunch and small bottle of cider in the evening. (2 separate meals out, celebration day) Prior to this my last drink was 3 weeks ago and was a shandy with a meal. Prior to that my last drink was about 3 months ago. I don't drink a lot, I don't drink at home, when I go out I'll have one or two drinks and then move to soft drinks. I can't deal with DD with a hangover, I tried and failed and don't want to feel that awful again when I can curl up and eat junk and not listen to crying and whinging toddler.
DH on the other hand has a rum and coke every night after dinner.

malin100 · 27/09/2016 11:59

I don't lie but I always think they think I'm lying. I find it really hard to answer the 'how many a week' question because about 80-90% of the year it's 0 units, then on special occasions it's maybe 5-6 units. I never want to say 0 because that would suggest I'm tee-total, which I'm not, so I often average it out and say 1, which they then don't believe or think I don't understand units...I don't want to write an essay on every medical form so I feel like they need to find a better way of asking the question!

Yorkieheaven · 27/09/2016 12:02

i think Ffion has a very valid point. HPC should listen to patients and not second guess or think they know better. It's very dangerous.

myownprivateidaho · 27/09/2016 12:14

Three bottles of wine a week (or half a bottle a night) may well be normal in terms of the number of people drinking that much (though frankly I don't think it is) but it's certainly hugely unhealthy and will reduce your life expectancy, expose you to risk of disease etc... That's not puritanical or saintly or killjoyism or any of the other things that have been said on this thread. It's just fact. Fine if you choose to drink this much, but don't act like pointing out that it's a major health risk is somehow an ideologically driven lie. Also, looking at the total amount of alcohol sold and dividing it by the number of drinkers doesn't work by definition alcoholics and problem drinkers are buying a disproportionately large amount of that total. See this breakdown, for US alcohol sales www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/09/25/think-you-drink-a-lot-this-chart-will-tell-you/ "If the top decile somehow could be induced to curb their consumption level to that of the next lower group (the ninth decile), then total ethanol sales would fall by 60 percent."

Eolian · 27/09/2016 12:27

I used to drink lots in my twenties and still a fair bit in my early thirties and definitely bent the truth a bit when a doctor asked. These days I don't drink during the week and have maybe a couple of pints or a bottle of wine over the weekend, so I'd tell the truth. I don't really care whether the doctor would believe me or not.

Surely the majority of people who lie to their gp about alcohol consumption are not drinking at a level which would require actual treatment, they'd just get a 'cut down a bit ' recommendation. So although lying might be a bit pointless, it's not actually going to make any difference.

expatinscotland · 27/09/2016 12:58

Then what is the point in being honest with someone who automatically believes you are a liar? What kind of trust can you have in someone whom you know has concluded you are a liar? I've never been asked, in fact, I only see a doctor when I'm very seriously ill, but if asked, I'd probably ask them what is the point in my telling them if they've already assumed I'm a lair. Funny they never seem to ask if you use cannabis, but if you drink.

expatinscotland · 27/09/2016 13:00

There was a thread on here a while back. The OP was worried because she had elevated liver enzyme levels and right away a dozen posters jumped on to chastise her for drinking too much. The woman was Muslim and teetotal.

luckylavender · 27/09/2016 13:07

You see - you're the type of people who get the rest of us a bad name. I rarely drink and if I tell a doctor that I always think he'll think I'm lying - because of people like you. No offence or anything ...

Gottagetmoving · 27/09/2016 13:13

I have never had a doctor say they don't believe me. They ask - I tell.
Whether they are thinking they don't believe me, I have no idea.

People choose not to believe the warnings about alcohol and that is up to them. Anyone can drink what they like. However, regular consumption can cause many health problems and to dismiss or deny that is daft.

When I drank three bottles of wine a week I knew it was not good to do but did it anyway. I would never have argued it was a safe level...because it isn't.

GoofyTheHero · 27/09/2016 13:20

I don't think people really deny the risk, they just choose to take it.