Subject index

Alcohol, smoking and illegal drugs

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Long term health conditions >> Women 16-18 >> Sarah - Interview 29 >> She needs regular blood tests to monitor her liver function because the drug she takes can damage the liver. Also she can't drink much alcohol.

Sarah was diagnosed with a localised form of a skin condition called morphea in which there are well demarcated plaques of fibrosis restricted to the skin. In her case this affects the right side of her nose and the top of the right side of her forehead. Recently she has had surgery in which fat from her stomach was injected into the right side of her nose and her forehead and the cheekbones. Doctors have explained that she will need several similar operations before they reconstruct her nose an

Long term health conditions >> Women 19-23 >> Sophie - Interview 15 >> She thought that alcohol didn't affect her but one time she drank a lot and ended up in hospital with acute pancreatitis. She hasn't drunk alcohol sin

Sophie was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when she was 8 years old. She was taught by her parents to do all her own medications and treatments and encouraged to do sport. She is the Social secretary for her university Netball Cub. Sophie has a positive approach to her condition and says that she lives life to the full.

Long term health conditions >> Women 16-18 >> Mica - Interview 16 >> She drank a lot of vodka which triggered a sickle cell crisis. She still remembers the pain and says that after that she can't stand alcohol.

Mica has lived with sickle cell anemia since birth. Her Mum and her brother also have the condition. Her mother has played an important role in helping Mica and her brother to develop a positive attittude towards having sickle cell anaemia. Mica says that she now feels in control of her condition.

Long term health conditions >> Women 24+ >> Catherine - Interview 02 >> She does drink alcohol and it doesn't affect her but she was worried about her epilepsy and alcohol when a teenager.

For many years Catherine stayed on a treatment that was not successfully controlling her epilepsy. And as a teenager she didn't know much about the different medications available. In her early twenties her new consultant put her on new medication that has improved the overall management of her condition.

Long term health conditions >> Women 19-23 >> Sara - Interview 27 >> Argues that people who smoke and drink do not deserve their free treatment. Says that people who have given up smoking and drinking feel much better a

Sara was diagnosed in 1990 with Juvenile chronic arthritis. She has had a finger tendon repair & a hip replacement. Current medication Anti-TNF Humira injected 2/month, indometacin, co-codamol & Lansoprazole. Says that with her current medication she has more energy to do things like exercise. She attended a Tai Chi course for people with arthritis and really enjoyed it.

Long term health conditions >> Men 19-23 >> David - Interview 08 >> Says that young people on medication ought to be very careful when drinking alcohol. He is not affected by it but only drinks in moderation.

David has had twenty-seven operations in twenty-three years - the main ones including knee and hip replacement, leg straightening and spinal fusion. This meant that he has missed a great deal of schooling but he has always been determined to continue with his education. He finished his GCSE's, did his A' levels and has recently finished his university degree.

Long term health conditions >> Women 19-23 >> Sophie - Interview 15 >> She is generally open about her cystic fibrosis and thinks that is it better to tell others the reason why she does not drink alcohol to avoid awkward

Long term health conditions >> Women 16-18 >> Lucy - Interview 05 >> She says that the advice and information given to her by the diabetes nurse have been most useful and as a result she is less inclined to drink or to

Lucy has had type 1 diabetes for 11 years. Two years ago her mother was also diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. There was a period when her diabetes control overall wasn't very good. Lucy has been working with her consultant at improving her overall control by setting an action plan, like for instance 'losing weight'. She is feeling much better now.

Long term health conditions >> Women 16-18 >> Mica - Interview 16 >> Says that she has wised up and advises other young people to understand that if they smoke or drink alcohol they will get more sickle cell crises than

Long term health conditions >> Women 19-23 >> Annette - Interview 31 >> Talks about her initial reactions after she was diagnosed with epilepsy and says that the NHS is not well prepared to deal with the issue of drug taki

Annettte was diagnosed with epilepsy when she was 15 years old. Before her diagnosis she was going through what she described as a 'very rebellious phase' and both drinking a great deal and taking illegal drugs. After her diagnosis she stopped taking illegal drugs and nowadays she hardly drinks alcohol at all. Family and friends have been very supportive.

Publication date: October 2007 Last updated: February 2012

Review date: February 2014

Various long-term health conditions can occur in young people. We interviewed 30 young people about their experiences of different chronic illnesses. Select from the key topics below, choose from the full list of topics on the right hand side of this page, or explore all the interviews by clicking on people's stories below.

Sophie says: “I've had a good weekend despite my lungs not feeling too good. My boyfriend's training to climb Mount Kilimanjaro so we have been hiking!”
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Long term health conditions >> Men 16-18 >> David - Interview 20 >> He says that his asthma would of course get worse if he were to start smoking and stop doing exercise. He drinks very little alcohol and tries to avoi

David was diagnosed with asthma at the age of 5 and his mother thinks that it was triggered off by a really bad cold. His asthma is mild and he is not on regular medication but he uses his inhaler before doing sports. He sees a specialist nurse once a year for check ups.

Long term health conditions >> Women 19-23 >> Annette - Interview 31 >> In her teens it was difficult for her to accept that for medical reasons she couldn't go out and get drunk like her friends did but now she doesn't mi

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