Dr. Chris Lambert Sounds Warning on Mixing Prescription Drugs with Alcohol
This article was written by Noozhawk Intern Tim Fucci as part of Day 4 in Noozhawk's 12-day, six-week special investigative series. Related links are below.
The Noozhawk's Prescription for Abuse series is a special project exploring the misuse and abuse of prescription medications in Santa Barbara County. Our series is a result of an exciting and unique partnership with USC's Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, which awarded Noozhawk a California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowship to undertake this important work.
Through our reporting and presentation, we will establish an independent baseline of where our community is with respect to the misuse and abuse of prescription medications; how the problem is affecting health care, education, law enforcement, criminal justice, addiction and treatment, and our culture and society; what we as a community can do to educate ourselves about prevention and controls; and how we can perhaps reverse what appears to be a very troubling trend.
Noozhawk staff writers Lara Cooper and Giana Magnoli are the lead reporters on the project, and they've been assisted by managing editor Michelle Nelson; reporters Alex Kacik and Sonia Fernandez; interns Kristin Crosier, Jessica Ferguson, Tim Fucci, Kristen Gowdy, Jessica Haro, Daniel Langhorne, Alexa Shapiro, Sam Skopp, Erin Stone and Sarah Webb; photographers Garrett Geyer and Nick St.Oegger; content producer Cliff Redding; and Web development staffers Will Macfadyen and Edgar Oliveira.
Ashley Almada, Garrett Geyer, Hailey Sestak and Billy Spencer of the Santa Barbara Teen News Network filmed more than two dozen public-service videos featuring many of our story sources.
The project is sponsored by the Santa Barbara Foundation in partnership with KEYT, sbTNN and Zona Seca. The Annenberg School is assisted by the Renaissance Journalism Center at San Francisco State University.
Day One:
» Quiet Epidemic of Prescription Drug Abuse Taking a Toll on Santa Barbara County
» After Losing It All, Former Drug Addict Looking Forward to Renewed Life
» USC, California Endowment Unite to Support Health Journalism at the Source
» Bill Macfadyen: Prescription for Abuse Project Is a Series of Opportunities
Day Two:
» Local, National Statistics Reveal Alarming Jumps in Misuse and Abuse of Medications
» Marijuana Use Trends Higher, Especially Among Young Adults, Sparking Public Health Concerns
» Alcohol Plays a Role All Its Own in Setting the Stage for Local Abuse, Overdoses
Day Three:
» Understanding Addiction Key to Dealing With Prescription Drug Abuse
» Donna Genera Has Seen the Price and Perils of Drug Addiction from All Sides
» Rich Detty Bears Burden of Not Knowing Extent of Dead Son's Drug Use
Day Four:
» Escalation of Drug Overdose Deaths Includes Increased Presence of Prescription Medications
» Santa Barbara Teen News Network Adds Another Dimension to Prescription Drug Abuse Series
» Dr. Chris Lambert Sounds Warning on Mixing Prescription Drugs with Alcohol
Day Five:
» Local Oversight of Prescription Medications Is Far More Focused Than State, Federal Controls
» Elderly Are Particularly Vulnerable to Both Misuse and Abuse of Prescription Drugs
» Second-Generation Pharmacist Peter Caldwell Fills a Vital Role with Patient Health Care
Day Six:
» Early Education for Parents and Youth Emerges as Critical Tactic to Thwart Drug Use
» Student Highs Can Lead to Tragic Woes with Addiction's Hook Just One Fateful Step Away
» From an Early Age, Shereen Khatapoush Saw the Horrors of Substance Abuse
» As a Parent Herself, Prosecutor Von Nguyen Brings Empathy to Job in Juvenile Justice
Day Seven:
» Law Enforcement Fights Battle Against Prescription Drug Abuse from Outside and Inside
» Sheriff Bill Brown a Strong Supporter of Re-Entry, Drug Abuse Treatment Efforts
» Speaking from Experience, Zona Seca's Kevin Smith Keeps Drug Abusers on Road to Recovery
Day Eight:
» Prescription Drug System Is Rife with Loopholes, Fraud and Lack of Oversight
» For Clinical Psychologist Neil Rocklin, Addiction Education Can't Begin Soon Enough
Day Nine:
» Drug Abuse Treatment Programs, Expertise Are Plentiful on South Coast
» Dr. David Agnew Sees Pain as Pathway to Abuse But Cautions Against Overreaction
Day Ten:
» Awareness, Disposal Key Elements to Reversing Tide of Prescription Drug Abuse
» Dr. Joe Blum Keeps Focus on His Veteran Patients Despite Health-Care System's Restraints
Day Eleven:
» Operation Medicine Cabinet Gets the Drop on Prescription Drug Disposal
» Lacey Johnson Gives UCSB Students an Education in Dealing with Drug Abuse and Addiction
Day Twelve:
» Santa Barbara County Officials Look for Solutions in Battle Against Prescription Drug Abuse
» Noozhawk Journalists Recount Lessons Learned from Prescription Drug Abuse Series
» Annenberg Fellowships Take a Diverse Approach to Community Health Journalism
» Dr. Nancy Leffert Champions Antioch University's Role in Fight Against Substance Abuse
» Professionals Working in Addiction Field Often Share Roots at Antioch University Santa Barbara
Dr. Chris Lambert, a veteran emergency room physician and head of Cottage Health System’s Frequent Opiate User Program, has direct advice for students and young people abusing drugs and alcohol. “Moderation is a good thing,” he says. “Never mix alcohol and drugs. If you see one of your friends appear to be in danger, you need to call 9-1-1 early. Our goal as physicians is to administer good medical treatment, not to get someone in trouble.”
Name: Dr. Chris Lambert
Location: Santa Barbara
Role: Emergency room physician
Dr. Chris Lambert has worked in the emergency rooms of Santa Barbara and Goleta Valley Cottage Hospitals for more than 30 years.
A Santa Barbara native, Lambert said he chose to be an emergency physician because he liked the fast-paced environment.
“What I enjoy is when you are an emergency physician, you have to communicate with patients in a way that’s precise and quick at the same time,” Lambert said.
Lambert has dealt firsthand with patients suffering with the unforgiving affects of drugs and alcohol.
“Clearly, alcohol-related incidents are very common in the emergency department,” Lambert said. “We see patients with alcohol-related issues daily. A majority of visits during the day is usually with the homeless population and during the night it usually skews toward the college-aged population.”
With its close proximity to Isla Vista and the UCSB campus, Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital’s emergency room frequently treats students for alcohol-related incidents.
“During the weekends there is a significant portion of students coming in,” said Lambert, a UCSB graduate himself. “We tend to see episodic extremes during Halloween and Floatopia.”
Asked whether there has been an upward trend in emergency room visits by young people as a result of excessive alcohol consumption, Lambert said in his time as an emergency department physician the number of incidents has remained consistent, but has not dropped.
While alcohol poisoning and drug overdose are less common, according to Lambert, there has been a rise in complications stemming from prescription drug use mixing with alcohol.
“There have been recent cases where there has been a combination of drug, alcohol, sedatives and narcotics,” said Lambert, who heads Cottage Health System’s Frequent Opiate User Program, which monitors patient prescription histories to determine if they’re seeking additional drugs.
“It’s rare to have a case that involves just polydrug overdose. If you’re drinking heavily, it markedly increases your chances of hospitalization. It’s a very dangerous combination and patients end up with medical complications.”
As the mixture of drugs and alcohol has become more frequent, Lambert called for students and young people to be more responsible and practice common sense. As a medical expert familiar with the dangers of drugs and alcohol, he had some advice.
“We’re concerned about the excessive drinking and binge drinking,” Lambert said. “Moderation is a good thing. Never mix alcohol and drugs. If you see one of your friends appear to be in danger, you need to call 9-1-1 early.
“Our goal as physicians is to administer good medical treatment, not to get someone in trouble.”
— Noozhawk intern Tim Fucci can be reached at tim.fucci@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk or @NoozhawkNews. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.