Dr. Sarah Wakeman

For many people, their experience has not been that good things happen to them when they share that they're having a problem with alcohol or other drugs. And so as a doctor, I feel like it's on me to earn someone's trust and also to educate them.

For many people, their experience has not been that good things happen to them when they share that they're having a problem with alcohol or other drugs. And so as a doctor, I feel like it's on me to earn someone's trust and also to educate them.

For many people, their experience has not been that good things happen to them when they share that they're having a problem with alcohol or other drugs. And so as a doctor, I feel like it's on me to earn someone's trust and also to educate them.

I mean, there's nothing more heartbreaking to me than when I see someone in the terminal stages of liver failure, for example, from alcohol, and no one has told them beforehand what the risks are, that this could happen, what sort of lower risk drinking looks like.

I mean, there's nothing more heartbreaking to me than when I see someone in the terminal stages of liver failure, for example, from alcohol, and no one has told them beforehand what the risks are, that this could happen, what sort of lower risk drinking looks like.

I mean, there's nothing more heartbreaking to me than when I see someone in the terminal stages of liver failure, for example, from alcohol, and no one has told them beforehand what the risks are, that this could happen, what sort of lower risk drinking looks like.

they've often never had that conversation so we'll see people in their 30s come in they literally die during that hospital admission and you look back and they had touch points with doctors they maybe were drinking heavily and no one stopped to sort of talk to them about it and i think that is a real testament to how in the medical system for so long we have seen substance use and addiction as something separate from the rest of health care is sort of not our job or a behavioral issue or a moral issue or a willpower issue

they've often never had that conversation so we'll see people in their 30s come in they literally die during that hospital admission and you look back and they had touch points with doctors they maybe were drinking heavily and no one stopped to sort of talk to them about it and i think that is a real testament to how in the medical system for so long we have seen substance use and addiction as something separate from the rest of health care is sort of not our job or a behavioral issue or a moral issue or a willpower issue

they've often never had that conversation so we'll see people in their 30s come in they literally die during that hospital admission and you look back and they had touch points with doctors they maybe were drinking heavily and no one stopped to sort of talk to them about it and i think that is a real testament to how in the medical system for so long we have seen substance use and addiction as something separate from the rest of health care is sort of not our job or a behavioral issue or a moral issue or a willpower issue

But this is a health condition like any other. And I think the medical system and doctors need to get comfortable talking to patients about it, asking them the right questions, giving them the right education and partnering with people around making healthy changes.

But this is a health condition like any other. And I think the medical system and doctors need to get comfortable talking to patients about it, asking them the right questions, giving them the right education and partnering with people around making healthy changes.

But this is a health condition like any other. And I think the medical system and doctors need to get comfortable talking to patients about it, asking them the right questions, giving them the right education and partnering with people around making healthy changes.

that you would say these are all indications that this could be a problem yeah that's a great question so i'll run through kind of the checklist that i'm thinking when i'm talking to someone about alcohol so first um you know understanding how much they're drinking just the general quantity and how frequently is important as sort of a proxy for what their risk might be but then the really important questions are um are they drinking more than they want to so are they

that you would say these are all indications that this could be a problem yeah that's a great question so i'll run through kind of the checklist that i'm thinking when i'm talking to someone about alcohol so first um you know understanding how much they're drinking just the general quantity and how frequently is important as sort of a proxy for what their risk might be but then the really important questions are um are they drinking more than they want to so are they

that you would say these are all indications that this could be a problem yeah that's a great question so i'll run through kind of the checklist that i'm thinking when i'm talking to someone about alcohol so first um you know understanding how much they're drinking just the general quantity and how frequently is important as sort of a proxy for what their risk might be but then the really important questions are um are they drinking more than they want to so are they

They may have set an intention for themselves and they're finding they're actually always drinking more or spending more time on drinking or recovering from drinking than they intended. Have they tried to make changes and not been able to? So if you tried to cut back or tried to stop and you actually weren't able to, that's a really important sign that you may have lost control of your drinking.

They may have set an intention for themselves and they're finding they're actually always drinking more or spending more time on drinking or recovering from drinking than they intended. Have they tried to make changes and not been able to? So if you tried to cut back or tried to stop and you actually weren't able to, that's a really important sign that you may have lost control of your drinking.

They may have set an intention for themselves and they're finding they're actually always drinking more or spending more time on drinking or recovering from drinking than they intended. Have they tried to make changes and not been able to? So if you tried to cut back or tried to stop and you actually weren't able to, that's a really important sign that you may have lost control of your drinking.

Are you drinking despite the fact that people in your life are worried about it or your spouse has expressed concern or it's impacting your work or your ability to function in roles that matter to you? Are you drinking despite the fact that it actually makes you more anxious or it's worsening your mental or physical health in some way? And then we often think about

Are you drinking despite the fact that people in your life are worried about it or your spouse has expressed concern or it's impacting your work or your ability to function in roles that matter to you? Are you drinking despite the fact that it actually makes you more anxious or it's worsening your mental or physical health in some way? And then we often think about