Alcoholism is a disease characterised by continuous heavy drinking. Until people with alcohol use disorder admit to problems with alcohol and stop drinking, the risk of alcohol use disorder continues which affects both physical and mental health.
Alcohol starts to injure the brain once it reaches the bloodstream.
Excessive consumption can lead to Alcohol-Related Brain Damage, or ARBD, which is a type of brain disorder caused by alcohol consumption. Brain shrinkage caused by alcohol abuse is permanent, as alcohol kills brain cells and grey matter.
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Every month, we bring you an unfiltered recovery conversation with someone who’s either experienced addiction firsthand, or works closely with those in recovery.
No sanitised success stories – just practical insights on what actually works in recovery, that you can apply, in your life too.
Recovery capital is the internal and external resource used to begin the recovery process and maintain sobriety. This combines personal, social, and community support to provide a joined-up approach that supports the addict through recovery.
Do you or a loved one need addiction treatment for alcohol or drugs? Thousands blindly walk into addiction treatment in expensive rehab centres and find that the reality doesn’t meet expectations.
If you’re considering rehab treatment, first check our ultimate guide for complete instructions on how to find the right rehab centre for you.
Take-home Naloxone kits help families and loved ones respond quickly in an opioid overdose emergency, until emergency services arrive. Kits contain nasal or injectable forms of Naloxone.
Changes in legislation mean Naloxone kits are now more widely available from pharmacies and drug services, including Abbeycare.
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Overcoming alcohol addiction means first ceasing alcohol intake, and taking care of physical and chemical withdrawal symptoms.
Detoxing from alcohol means undergoing withdrawal from alcohol, but with the assistance of prescribed medication and detox phase, to substitute in place of the alcohol itself.
Alcohol rehab focuses on tackling the problems underneath alcoholism, such as grief, trauma, depression, and emotional difficulties, in order to reduce continuing drinking after treatment.
Inpatient services at an alcohol rehab programme provides 24 hour access to specialist care.
Alcohol home detox provides a means of semi-supervised addiction treatment in the comfort of your home. It’s often suitable for those with inescapable practical commitments, or where a reduced budget for treatment is available.
An at-home detox is the most basic detox option available from Abbeycare, and assumes you have support available, post-detox, for the other important elements of long-term addiction recovery.
The term alcoholism refers to the consumption of alcohol to the extent that the person is unable to manage their own drinking habits or patterns, resulting in side-effects that are detrimental to the quality of life and health of the alcoholic, or those around them.
An alcoholic is someone who continues to compulsively abuse alcohol in this way, despite the negative consequences to their lives and health.
Immediately following treatment, the early stages of recovery and abstinence are most vulnerable to lapses.
At Abbeycare, a structured and peer-reviewed aftercare plan is usually prepared whilst still in treatment. This comprises social, peer, and therapeutic resources individuals draw upon, following a residential treatment programme for drug or alcohol misuse.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is a well-known therapy option used by doctors at drug and alcohol treatment facilities for the treatment of substance use disorders.
It is a form of talking therapy that helps one mange their problems by changing how they think and behave. This form of therapy is used to treat depression and anxiety and is useful for physical health problems as well as one’s mental health.
Family Therapy at Abbeycare Scotland or Gloucester is realistic, compassionate, and appropriate for families and loved ones of addicts.
Family therapeutic interventions in residential rehabilitation have been designed to support those living with or caring for participants entering the Abbeycare Programme.
Support for families in a group setting allows for a safe, constructive, and confidential place to listen and share common experiences.
Inpatient rehab is drug and/ or alcohol treatment in a rehab centre, where patients remain on-site for the duration of inpatient rehabilitation.
It includes detoxification from drugs, therapy (group work and 1-2-1 sessions), and aftercare planning. Inpatient rehabs typically last 28 days, but this varies on an individual basis.
Long-term treatment at Abbeycare has been developed for those suffering from alcohol or drug addiction. Completing a long-term drug and alcohol inpatient programme may be the solution to problematic substance use.
Motivational Enhancement Therapy can be used by trained addiction recovery therapists to elicit internal changes within and promote long-term recovery from substance use disorder.
All the answers to addiction can be found within with this comprehensive and successful therapy concept leads to behavioural changes, reflective listening, self-motivational statements, and a comprehensive recovery process.
Outpatient drug or alcohol rehab is daytime treatment as opposed to living in a treatment facility.
Outpatient treatment is similar to inpatient in terms of the methods used to treat substance abuse. Where they differ is in their approach to recovery.
Abbeycare’s prison to rehab is a 12-week structured rehab programme which involves direct transfer from prison. The suitability of the candidate is decided by prison staff.
Short-term residential treatment programmes are the chance to press the reset button and access a therapeutic programme designed to create recovery from the use of alcohol and drugs.
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The 12-step programme was created by alcoholics anonymous (AA), and is specifically designed to aid addicts in achieving and maintaining abstinence.
The central ethos behind the programme is that participants must admit and surrender to a divine power to live happy lives. Ideas and experiences are shared in meetings, and help is sought in an attempt to achieve abstinence.
Abbeycare’s policy to respect your privacy and comply with any applicable law and regulation regarding any personal information we may collect about you, including across our website and other sites we own and operate.
Alcohol and terbinafine can also prolong a fungal infection or exacerbate it [2].
NHS guidelines specify that you can drink alcohol whilst taking terbinafine, but side effects may include headaches and dehydration [3].
Drinking alcohol with terbinafine has the potential to reduce the effectiveness of the drug, by prolonging and exacerbating fungal infections [1].
How Does Alcohol Use Alter Terbinafine's Effectiveness?
The National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in 2017 completed experiments by giving alcohol to mice, finding that the mice had liver damage and an increase of intestinal fungal growth, demonstrating that alcohol and terbinafine prolongs fungal infections or causes fungal infections to flare up [4].
In a study of patients being treated with terbinafine, changes in liver function tests indicating liver damage appeared in 0.5% to 10% of patients [5].
Another study carried out in 1999 by the CEIFE shows that terbinafine and other antifungal medications cause liver damage, which is worsened by alcohol use, meaning that mixing terbinafine and alcohol may lead to liver damage or complete liver failure in extreme cases [6].
In some cases, liver damage is resolved in around 3-6 months after immediately stopping treatment, but in other cases mixing terbinafine and alcohol leads to liver failure, resulting in either the need for a transplant or death [7].
Drinking Alcohol After Taking Terbinafine
Terbinafine has a 36 hour half life which means that it can take around 5 days to clear through the body.
Terbinafine has to be fully metabolised by the liver and then excreted through the kidneys in order to minimise any damage caused by combining alcohol and terbinafine [8].
Side Effects Of Terbinafine And Alcohol
Side effects of Terbinafine and alcohol include:
Dark urine, Terbinafine is metabolised in the liver, which when mixed with alcohol leads to liver disorders [9]
Dehydration, both Terbinafine and alcohol cause dehydration
Seeking professional medical advice if alcohol use becomes excessive or concerning [12]
Having regular liver function tests to check for any damage to the body [13]
Liver Function Tests
Before prescribing terbinafine, a doctor will perform liver function tests to ensure that there is no pre-existing damage to the liver.
They will then continue to perform the tests to assess the liver throughout treatment.
A liver function test will:
Screen for liver infections that may be caused by terbinafine and alcohol use
Monitor disease progression of fungal infections and the effect of terbinafine and alcohol use
Measure the severity of diseases such as scarring of the liver
Monitor Terbinafine medication side effects [11]
Established for over 15 years, the Abbeycare Group provides private treatment options for those suffering with alcohol and drug addictions, with proven outcomes.
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Abbeycare Group operate residential addiction treatment clinics situated throughout the UK. With rehab clinics in Scotland, between Glasgow and Edinburgh, in Newmarket less than an hour from London and our flagship clinic in Gloucestershire, we treat people suffering with alcohol and drug addiction and the problems associated with substance dependence and misuse, and have a proven track record.
Abbeycare offer uncompromising treatment programmes for detox and rehabilitation from alcoholism, and drug addiction. Our programmes are open to anybody aged 18 or older who is committed to recovery from alcohol or drug abuse. At Abbeycare, we offer a private addiction rehabilitation programme (rehab) using best practice and proven techniques – addiction rehab that’s designed to help you get to grips with the physical, psychological and emotional implications of your alcohol or drug problem.
At Abbeycare, you will get the support you need to recover from alcohol or drug dependence. You will also learn about making the big changes – in your lifestyle and in your thinking – that will let you maintain your recovery. Abbeycare ensure clients receive the best detox and addiction help available for faster and more comfortable detox and recovery.
We know the fingerprint of addiction, and are ready to help you now.
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Liver function tests identify levels of certain enzymes or proteins that indicate damage to the liver [11].
It is recommended that a liver function test should be performed after 4-6 weeks of combining terbinafine and alcohol.
Combining terbinafine and alcohol together should be discontinued if there are any irregularities in the liver function test [14].
Comprehensive guide to Suffolk addiction support, available here.
Vulnerable Groups For Terbinafine And Alcohol Use
Groups more likely to experience medical issues when combining alcohol use with terbinafine include:
Elderly patients - A study found that 62% of over 65's suffer from more than one chronic condition such as heart, liver and kidney problems [15]
Patients with pre-existing hepatic or renal impairments [16]
Patients taking codeine, fluoxetine or tramadol at the same time as Terbinafine and alcohol [17].
Terbinafine is typically not prescribed for those who have an active liver disease [18].
Although it is possible to be unaffected by combining terbinafine and alcohol, there are still risks of developing dehydration, nausea and vomiting, seizures and cardiac arrest [19].
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Side effects of combining terbinafine and alcohol affect around 1 in every 1,000 users [20].
Best practice for patients taking terbinafine is:
Limiting alcohol use
Taking liver function tests regularly [11]
Avoid terbinafine altogether where possible, if consuming alcohol
Take a lower dose if there is a pre-existing medical condition such as hepatic or renal impairments [16]
Also consider a lower dose if there is a vulnerable group classification such as being elderly or taking medicines that do not agree with terbinafine and alcohol such as codeine, tramadol or fluoxetine [21] [17].
Consult a doctor immediately upon experiencing any side effects.
About the author
Harriet Garfoot
Harriet Garfoot BA, MA has an Undergraduate degree in Education Studies and English, and a Master's degree in English Literature, from Bishop Grosseteste University. Harriet writes on stress & mental health, and is a member of the Burney Society. Content reviewed by Laura Morris (Clinical Lead).
