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As a doctor, I hear and see a lot of personal issues everyday. It’s hard to surprise me,
or your own doctor, with unhealthy habits you don’t want to admit. Let’s take two
things that people bend the truth on – smoking and alcohol. If you only smoke a few cigarettes
a day, no big deal… right? No, not if you’re using hormonal birth control. Your chances
of blood clots and stroke increase significantly by smoking! And, that’s just one example.
That wine with dinner? If you’re taking antibiotics, it can interfere with their effectiveness.
That’s because alcohol gets broken down in the liver… the same place where many
medications are metabolized. The interaction can change the way the antibiotics are processed…
and how quickly they work to fight infection. So, smoking and drinking may not seem related
to contraception, infections or other health issues… but they can be. That’s why we
ask about them. Doctors aren’t going to judge you. So just say it, believe me, we’ve
seen it all.