Drugs and Alcohol

To make sure that you get the best care and treatment for your cancer, it is important that you are open and honest with your treating team about any drugs you are using or have used in the past.

Members of your treating team are not going to judge, lecture or harass you about your use, but it is important that they are fully aware of what is going on.

Your body is already under stress because of your disease, but also because of the treatment you are having. Your energy levels are likely to be down and your body may not have the resources to fight off infections, etc, because your immune system is depleted.

Given the above, drugs and alcohol can lead to further problems:

• Drugs or alcohol may interact with treatments you are having
• Some side effects of treatment i.e.: mouth sores/ulcers, nausea and vomiting may be worse if you are also using drugs and/or alcohol
• Smoking and some non-prescribed drugs depress the respiratory system ie: affect our lungs and how well we can use oxygen in the body. Some chemotherapy treatments can also have this effect. When combined, you may have increased problems breathing, and may be more likely to develop chest infections or other respiratory problems.
• During treatment your blood cells are affected and your immunity may be down. Using certain drugs and the way you use ie: injecting and sharing needles, may increase your risk of infection.
• Drugs and/or alcohol use may interfere with how you cope with your disease, the treatment and side effects.
• Where family members or friends are using this may reduce their ability to offer you support.

Giving up or reducing your drug and/or alcohol use will give your body a better chance of fighting cancer and maximising the effect of treatment. If you have tried to give up in the past but not had a lot of success that's ok. A cancer diagnosis changes your situation and this may be the time to try again.

If you want to stop or reduce your drug and/or alcohol use, there are a number of programs and support services available. Ask your doctor and/or social worker to help you link with your community health centre or council services. They can also provide you with strategies to help control or reduce your drug use.

It is most important that you take care of yourself at this time. If you continue to use it is important that you do so safely and carefully. Try to make sure other people are around, or able to check on you. You should always use sterile needles and syringes and avoid sharing. After injecting, any equipment, syringes, needles etc should be disposed of properly. These steps will not only help reduce your risk of infection, but also help prevent transmission of HIV, Hep B, Hep C and other blood-borne viruses.