What may increase your risk of a problem from alcohol and drug abuse?

Many conditions, lifestyle choices, medicines, and diseases interfere with your ability to heal or fight infection. You may be at risk for a more serious problem from your symptoms if you have any of the following. Be sure to tell your health professional.

Conditions

• Age older than 65. The effects of alcohol may be increased in older adults because of changes that occur with aging.
• Age younger than 19. Alcohol and other drugs are frequently involved in crime, high-risk sexual behavior, accidents, and injury in this age group.
• A personal or family history of alcohol or drug abuse or addiction
• An eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa
• Being female. Women are less likely to abuse alcohol than men but are more likely to have other health problems related to alcohol, such as liver disease.
• History of abuse as a child or in an intimate relationship (intimate partner abuse)
• History of suicide attempts
• Pregnancy
• Previous surgery to remove the spleen

Lifestyle choices

• Smoking or other tobacco use
• High-risk sexual behaviors:
  • Unprotected intercourse without male or female condom use, except in a long-term, single-partner (monogamous) relationship
  • Unprotected mouth-to-genital contact, except in a long-term monogamous relationship
  • Early sexual activity, especially before age 18
  • Having multiple sex partners
  • Having a high-risk partner (one who has multiple sex partners or other risk factors)
  • Having anal sex or a partner who does, except in a long-term, single-partner (monogamous) relationship
  • Having sex with a partner who injects or has ever injected drugs.
  • Exchange of sex (sex work) for drugs or money

Medicines

• Antianxiety medicines, such as diazepam (Valium), chlordiazepoxide (Librium), oxazepam (Serax), or lorazepam (Ativan)
• Antibiotics, such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro) or azithromycin (Zithromax)
• Antidepressant medicines, such as sertraline (Zoloft), fluoxetine (Prozac), fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine (Paxil), or clomipramine (Anafranil)
• Antipsychotic medicines, such as olanzapine (Zyprexa) or risperidone (Risperdal)
• Antiseizure medicines, such as Tegretol
• Medicines that interfere with blood clotting, such as warfarin (Coumadin) or heparin
• Medicines used to treat cancer (chemotherapy)
• Radiation therapy
• Steroids, such as prednisone

Diseases

• Blood disorders, such as anemia and thrombocytopenia
• Cancer or leukemia
• Coagulation abnormalities, such as idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura (ITP) or von Willebrand's disease
• Coronary artery disease
• Diabetes
• Gastritis
• Heart failure
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• Irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias)
• Kidney disease
• Liver disease, especially cirrhosis or hepatitis
• Mental health problems, such as bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, or schizophrenia
• Osteoporosis
• Pancreatitis
• Peptic ulcer disease
• Respiratory diseases, such as asthma or emphysema
• Seizure disorders, such as epilepsy
• Sickle cell disease
• Stroke