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Post by Basket1lady on Nov 21, 2014 23:24:35 GMT
You know, I just asked my doctor about this question recently. I said I often answer "no" because my alcohol intake is so low. There's rarely a "few times a year" option, so I round down. The next answer is always too high. He said almost everyone under-estimates their alcohol consumption. So, the people who say they never drink, probably drink lightly, the light drinkers are probably moderate, and moderate drinkers are probably heavy drinkers. Then you get the honest people who admit to their bottle of brandy or case of beer each night, lol. My dr says this, too. I'm honest with my answers and it irritates me that they don't want to believe me. So now I just cross out stuff and correct the forms. We have to fill them out every time we have an appt, even if it's multiple times a week. Sometimes I'm feeling uncooperative and just don't fill them out. And I tell them why. It's crazy. My mother still died 25 years ago. That hasn't changed. And I haven't suddenly become a binge drinker overnight. My dr told me the only way they can change that stuff is if we complain. And pretty much told me that as a Colonel's wife, it's my duty to change what isn't working. Great. In compensation for all those rubber chicken dinners, I can be a rebel in the drs office. Whoo hoo! I told her it made me feel all bad ss and she thought that was pretty funny. |
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Post by leftturnonly on Nov 21, 2014 23:27:05 GMT
You don't need to be embarrassed about having 2 drinks a year? Bet that makes you feel better!  |
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likescarrots
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by likescarrots on Nov 21, 2014 23:39:59 GMT
I don't necessarily think she is wrong to change it. 2 times a year is 'regular', but not frequent. If someone prescribed you medicine that could interact with alcohol, they might assume since you selected no, you wouldn't have to worry about it.
I have had this come up several times at the Dr's. I always choose no, because I don't drink at all and never have, and they always try to pry it out of me like I'm lying about it.
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Post by M~ on Nov 22, 2014 1:13:01 GMT
I agree with likescarrots. "regularly" doesn't necessarily equate to "frequently." Whenever I choose "no drinking," on a medical form, people don't believe me and always follow-up with several questions.
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sharlag
Drama Llama
I like my artsy with a little bit of fartsy.
Posts: 6,586
Location: Kansas
Jun 26, 2014 12:57:48 GMT
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Post by sharlag on Nov 22, 2014 1:17:00 GMT
Just admit your embarrassment and things will go a lot more smoothly.
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conchita
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,141
Jul 1, 2014 11:25:58 GMT
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Post by conchita on Nov 22, 2014 1:49:08 GMT
I don't drink at all. There are too many raging alcoholics in my family that make it disgusting for me. Plus I just don't like it. The last reason is because I'm also diabetic. I'm very careful with my diet and alcohol just isn't important to me. Like you I'd rather have a donut! Lol! My doctors always ask if I smoke or drink. They don't believe me until they review my blood work. My A1C is 4.9 and I'd like to keep it there so I can live long and healthy.
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Post by epeanymous on Nov 22, 2014 2:43:09 GMT
In your position I would say no. In my position, I would say yes  . |
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Post by Zee on Nov 22, 2014 3:31:23 GMT
Geez, I'm what they medically classify as a "binge drinker" because I only drink on the weekends  That makes it sound like I'm hugging the toilet bowl at the bar on a Saturday night ... which I'm definitely not  Haha me too...during the summer months DH and I like to sit outside and have a few beers on the weekends, usually just Friday or Saturday, but some guidelines consider that "binge drinking" because once a week I have more than one beer at a time. Lolol I very rarely drink during the rest of the year so I just answer "occasionally" and figure it evens out.  |
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Post by jumperhop on Nov 22, 2014 3:48:36 GMT
She must have been a Mormon. Reminds me of the time I took my MIL to the Dr office and they asked her if she was married, divorced or single? She answered married even though she had been divorced for 17 years. I was hoping the next question would be are you mentally ill? |
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Post by momof3pits on Nov 22, 2014 4:33:39 GMT
See, I would have assumed that by her saying you don't need to be embaressed she was accusing you of underreportimg your drinking habits. Would have offended me.
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Deleted
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Aug 18, 2025 19:40:32 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2014 4:38:27 GMT
If you drink a few times a year, I don't think you can answer the question "no...I don't drink." Because you do drink. No means never drinking. A few times a year is certainly minimal, but it's not absolutely none.
When any medical professional asks me if I drink I always say "on occasion" and that usually ends up being specified as "a few times a year". I don't say social because that could still mean every night. LOL
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scorpeao
Pearl Clutcher
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Jun 25, 2014 21:04:54 GMT
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Post by scorpeao on Nov 22, 2014 5:21:55 GMT
I'm like you and I always mark hat I drink and choose the answer with the least amount of drinking.
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Deleted
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Aug 18, 2025 19:40:32 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2014 5:22:48 GMT
That's crazy. I am the same way a you, I have a drink, 2 to 3 times a year and I would in no way consider myself a regular drinker. That nurse is whacked. I would've demanded new forms. |
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Post by eebud on Nov 22, 2014 5:30:31 GMT
The form was poorly worded if the aim is to find out if you drink at all. Otherwise, it's her interpretation of your answers that's off the mark. Signed, A regular drinker. (Glass of wine most nights of the week... sometimes two.  ) Your post made me LOL. Every time a drinking thread is started with the peas, nobody here every drinks or they only have a drink or two a year. Then it makes me wonder who all those cars that fill the parking lot at Total Wine and More come from. Well, I know one of them is mine but I don't know where the rest come from. LOL Do you have this store close to you? They recently moved into the DFW area. They have every kind of beer, wine, liquor, liqueur, etc. known to man. As for the original question..........I don't know if I have seen it worded quite like that. I usually see Do you drink alcohol? How much/How often? |
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Nov 22, 2014 12:22:55 GMT
eebud - Not in my town, but we do have that store (and others similar) when we go the "the big city." One of my favorite wines comes from Trader Joe's though. I buy a merlot from Chile by the case there it's so reasonable.
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Post by smokeynspike on Nov 22, 2014 17:18:24 GMT
I would have answered no too. I drink maybe one or two drinks a year, tops.
I probably would have pushed it with her. That is not regularly, IMO.
Melissa
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Post by mcscrapper on Nov 22, 2014 18:18:50 GMT
RN here....also a drinker. I think the nurse or med assistant didn't address you correctly. To me a "regular" user is someone that drinks on a regular basis whether it be every day or just on weekends. I drink but do not consider myself a regular drinker either. I might be on vacation and drink a beer or some wine every day for a week straight but then might not drink for a month. That is not a regular user in my opinion.
I think the nurse was being rude actually.
Meredith
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Deleted
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Aug 18, 2025 19:40:32 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2014 19:31:34 GMT
The form was poorly worded if the aim is to find out if you drink at all. Otherwise, it's her interpretation of your answers that's off the mark. Signed, A regular drinker. (Glass of wine most nights of the week... sometimes two. ) Your post made me LOL. Every time a drinking thread is started with the peas, nobody here every drinks or they only have a drink or two a year. Then it makes me wonder who all those cars that fill the parking lot at Total Wine and More come from. Well, I know one of them is mine but I don't know where the rest come from. LOL Do you have this store close to you? They recently moved into the DFW area. They have every kind of beer, wine, liquor, liqueur, etc. known to man. As for the original question..........I don't know if I have seen it worded quite like that. I usually see Do you drink alcohol? How much/How often? I'm not sure if there's a Total Wine and More in our town although I have seen them. Maybe The Colony has one? But we live pretty close to a Goody Goody and you might see my car there. I don't drink, but DH does so it's not like I don't buy liquor. (In fact, coming from a state where you could buy liquor at the grocery store - and at any time or day of the week - it's strange that I can only buy wine or beer in the grocery store and only between certain hours and stricter on Sunday)
I think it was the "regularly" that I was mostly questioning. If the question had just been "do you drink" then I definitely would have said yes and qualified it as limited to once or twice a year, but regularly to me indicates some level of consistency. Kind of like I wouldn't answer "do you have headaches regularly" with a yes if I only experienced one once or twice a year. The nurse really wasn't rude in changing the answer and, in fact, was really trying to be comforting that it was okay to drink (although I do suspect if I had marked that I drank daily or even weekly it would have included some counseling about the effects on blood sugar at that point, which in this case, would have been warranted given the type of clinic, study, and her medical role, i.e. she wasn't just gathering info for a doctor.)
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Post by eebud on Nov 22, 2014 21:35:16 GMT
Your post made me LOL. Every time a drinking thread is started with the peas, nobody here every drinks or they only have a drink or two a year. Then it makes me wonder who all those cars that fill the parking lot at Total Wine and More come from. Well, I know one of them is mine but I don't know where the rest come from. LOL Do you have this store close to you? They recently moved into the DFW area. They have every kind of beer, wine, liquor, liqueur, etc. known to man. As for the original question..........I don't know if I have seen it worded quite like that. I usually see Do you drink alcohol? How much/How often? I'm not sure if there's a Total Wine and More in our town although I have seen them. Maybe The Colony has one? But we live pretty close to a Goody Goody and you might see my car there. I don't drink, but DH does so it's not like I don't buy liquor. (In fact, coming from a state where you could buy liquor at the grocery store - and at any time or day of the week - it's strange that I can only buy wine or beer in the grocery store and only between certain hours and stricter on Sunday)
I think it was the "regularly" that I was mostly questioning. If the question had just been "do you drink" then I definitely would have said yes and qualified it as limited to once or twice a year, but regularly to me indicates some level of consistency. Kind of like I wouldn't answer "do you have headaches regularly" with a yes if I only experienced one once or twice a year. The nurse really wasn't rude in changing the answer and, in fact, was really trying to be comforting that it was okay to drink (although I do suspect if I had marked that I drank daily or even weekly it would have included some counseling about the effects on blood sugar at that point, which in this case, would have been warranted given the type of clinic, study, and her medical role, i.e. she wasn't just gathering info for a doctor.)
Crap! I was typing and hit something and lost my post. I'll try again. LOL I don't know if there is a Total Wine in your town or not but there is one close. There is one in Plano on the SE corner of Preston and 121. Goody Goody is another good store but I have friends who shop at Goody Goody a lot and they told me that Total Wine had a little better prices. Probably not enough for them to go out of their way but if they are in the area of a Total Wine, they will stop there. I have an uncle who was diagnosed with diabetes when he was about 10. He used to drink A LOT, as in WAY too much for someone with diabetes. I think he was mostly a social drinker when he got together with friends but he would drink a lot on those occasions. He was always adjusting his insulin to accommodate his drinking. He eventually either quit completely or he might have cut back to only have A (as in one) beer a couple of times a year. But, these threads always make me laugh because the peas, overall, seem to be such a teatotaler group. LOL Nothing wrong with that but they probably wouldn't want to be around most of my friends. LOL |
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Post by Really Red on Nov 22, 2014 21:46:13 GMT
It is why we need technical writers . If you answered YES to the first question, how often do you drink..." Regularly is not once or twice a year. She must have read "week." I would have corrected her. |
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Post by anniefb on Nov 22, 2014 22:35:33 GMT
It is why we need technical writers . If you answered YES to the first question, how often do you drink..." Regularly is not once or twice a year. She must have read "week." I would have corrected her.  |
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eleezybeth
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Jun 28, 2014 20:42:01 GMT
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Post by eleezybeth on Nov 22, 2014 23:40:10 GMT
I ask this question regularly. My scale is a bit different but it is do you drink: yes or no. Then rarely, occasionally, monthly weekly, daily. It goes further to ask for amounts.
Why? Well binge drinking isn't healthy either. So that once annual binge you go on could actually be important. Not for everybody but when we are trying to figure out what is wrong with you it can be.
My favorite is when they say occasionally and really mean every weekend and with more than a few. In fact define a few. Then we review healthy drinking guidelines.... A goblet full of wine is rarely one. Most people don't realize what a drink is.
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Post by Aheartfeltcard on Nov 23, 2014 0:00:18 GMT
Regularly is defined as at regular intervals whether it is daily, weekly, monthly, or annually.
In my opinion the question should be asked differently.
I think you answered the right way. The only thing that matters is that you explained what you do. Drinking twice a year is not going to change your medical history and that is the info that the dr. needed.
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