Tests for Alcohol Use

There are a variety of diagnostic tests that are put to use in the medical community to test for how much alcohol an individual has consumed and how exactly the consumption of alcohol has affected the persons bodily organs. Alcohol can have a devastating effect on many different organs of the body including the liver, the kidneys and the brain.

Some of the most commonly done medical diagnostic tests are liver function tests, full blood count and blood alcohol content. Liver function tests (abbreviated to LFTs or LFs) take into account liver enzymes. The liver function tests are sets of clinical biochemistry laboratory blood tests that are geared towards illuminating information about the condition of a persons liver.

When it comes to liver related problems, initially there are no symptoms at all but these give way to mild symptoms. It is essential that liver problems be found out early because left unchecked, liver related diseases could be deadly. Hepatitis can sometimes be a part of any number of liver diseases.

Tests for hepatitis need to be conducted by a medical technologist who will test the plasma or serum of a patients and this sample is always collected by a phlebotomist. The standard liver panel includes a variety of measurements such as total protein (TP), albumin (Alb), alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and total bilirubin (TBIL).

Other medical tests that are often done when LFT tests are done include gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), 5 nucleotidase (5NTD), coagulation tests such as INR and serum glucose such as BG and Glu. A full blood count (FBC) or a complete blood count (CBC) is also sometimes known as a full blood exam (FBE).

This is also sometimes called a hemogram. The full blood count is a type of medical test that a physician orders for a patient and this test provides information regarding the cells that are to be found in a persons bloodstream. A medical technologist performs the test on the patient and then communicates the results to the patients physician.

Did You Know

The problems that come from being raised by an alcoholic are generally environmental and with a lot of hard work can be overcome. Generally, when a child is raised around alcohol and excessive drinking there is a tendency for that child to use alcohol as adults. Many times children grow up and conduct themselves and their families in a way that is very similar to the way they were raised. It takes a conscious effort to "break the cycle" of addiction that they have witnessed and not carry on that same lifestyle to their children.

The problems that are genetic are more difficult to overcome but once the child is aware that her or she will have a tendency toward addiction they can change the way they deal with stress and other risk factors to help avoid alcoholism. A gene can determine whether a person will have a tendency toward an addiction toward alcohol. In addition, there are personality and mental health examinations that can be done that can let a person know if they are at risk of being an addict.

Professional addiction counselors recommend that if a person has the gene or tests positive on the examinations they should abstain from the use of alcohol. The genetic push toward addiction is so strong that to tempt the body by using addictive substances is considered risky behavior and should not be attempted.

There are three kinds of cells that are found in the blood and these include red blood cells (erythrocytes), white blood cells (leukocytes) and thrombocytes (or platelets). If the blood count of a patients is either abnormally low or abnormally high this could point to the presence of a disease or worse, more than on kind of disease. Blood alcohol content (or BAC) is another type of medical diagnostic test that is sometimes also referred to as blood alcohol concentration and this means basically a measurement of the concentration of alcohol that is to be found in a persons bloodstream.

Interesting Facts

In order to help the loved one work through their alcohol addiction, the family members must accept that they did not cause the alcoholism, they cannot cure the alcoholism, and they cannot control the alcoholism.

The BAC test is measured by mass, or mass by volume or sometimes as a combination of the two. To use an example, a blood alcohol content that is 0.20% will indicate that in a persons bloodstream they have two grams of alcohol for every 1000 grams of blood. To look at it another way, this means that there is 0.2 grams of alcohol for every 100 millilitres (also known as decilitres) of blood.

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Better Your Health

Alcoholism is a Widespread Problem


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◦	The Difference Between Alcohol Dependence And Alcohol Abuse

◦	What is the Attraction To Alcohol

◦	FAQ's About Alcoholism Pt 1

◦	FAQ's About Alcoholism Pt 2

◦	A Brief Summary Regarding Alcoholism

◦	Alcohol Abuse and the College Campus

◦	The Brain And Alcohol

◦	Health Risks For Women Alcoholics

◦	Holiday Survival Guide For The Alcoholic

◦	How A Child See's Alcoholism

◦	Alcoholism Detoxification Steps

◦	Alcoholism and the Workplace

◦	The Children of Alcoholics

◦	Common Questions About Alcoholism

◦	Tests for Alcohol Use

◦	Do All Alcoholics Need a Rehab Center

◦	The Dangers and Penalties Of Drinking and Driving

◦	The War On Drunk Driving

◦	How To Determine When Someone Needs Professional Help

◦	Some Facts About Alcoholism

◦	Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

◦	Diet Hints To Assist With Alcoholism Withdrawal

◦	Helping Someone To Overcome Alcoholism

◦	Alcoholism Risk Is Linked to Early Aged Drinking

◦	A Portrait Of An Alcoholic

◦	The Symptoms of Alcoholism

◦	Basic Facts About Alcoholism

◦	Hard Facts About Alcoholism

◦	Cautions Concerning Non Alcoholic Beer

◦	The College Campus And Alcoholism

◦	Dangers of Alcoholism

◦	Alcoholics Anonymous Steps 1-6

◦	Alcoholics Anonymous Steps 6-12

◦	What Causes An Alcoholic Blackout

◦	New Shot to Treat Alcoholism

◦	Alcoholism's Physical Effects

◦	Group Support For Alcoholism

◦	Threats From Alcoholism

◦	The Truth About Alcoholism

◦	Treating The Three Main Issues In Alcoholism

◦	Treatments for Alcoholism

◦	Vitamins and Supplements For The Alcoholic

◦	Recovering From Alcoholism

◦	Help Your Teen Avoid Becoming An Alcoholic

◦	What Is Alcholism

◦	Family Members Drinking Too Much

◦	Explain Alcoholism

◦	Who Are The Alcoholics

◦	Women Fighting The Consequences of Alcoholism

◦	Al Anon Support For The Alcoholic's Family

◦	Health Consequences Of Alcoholism

◦	Medications Used For Treating Alcoholism

◦	Screening Tests For Alcoholism

◦	What Is The Difference Between Alcohol Abuse And Alcoholism

◦	How to Stop Drinking Alcohol without AA

◦	The Truth About Alcoholics Anonymous

◦	Alcoholism - Curable or Just Controllable

◦	The Causes of Alcoholism

◦	So How Much Drinking Really Is Too Much?

◦	Is Alcoholism Hereditary

◦	What Children Need to Know About Alcohol

◦	How to Recognize When Children are Drinking

◦	What You Need to Know about how to Set Up an Intervention for an Alcoholic

◦	How to Quit Drinking Without Gaining Weight

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