Ted Rogers Heart Failure Patient Education

Learn about heart failure, treatment options and how to better manage your health and live with heart failure.

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  • Heart Failure
    • The Heart and How It Works
    • What Is Heart Failure?
    • What Causes Heart Failure?
    • What Are the Symptoms of Heart Failure?
    • How Is Heart Failure Diagnosed?
  • Treatments
    • Introduction to Treatments
    • Sodium Restriction
    • Fluid Restriction
    • Medications
      • Introduction to Medications
      • Beta-Blockers
      • ACEIs & ARBs
      • Sacubitril/valsartan (Entresto™)
      • Ivabradine (Lancora™)
      • Diuretics
      • Aldosterone Antagonists
      • Vasodilators and Nitrates
      • Digoxin
      • Potassium Supplements
      • Intravenous Iron
    • Device Therapies
      • Introduction to Device Therapies
      • ICD
      • CRT
      • LVADs
    • Heart Transplantation
    • End-of-Life Planning
  • Healthy Living
    • Introduction to Heart Healthy Living
    • Nutrition Guide for Heart Failure
    • Potassium and Heart Failure
    • Avoiding Alcohol
    • Exercise and Heart Failure
    • Energy Conservation
    • Working with Heart Failure
    • Coping with Stress
  • Other Conditions
    • Coronary Artery Disease
    • Atrial Fibrillation
    • ARVC
    • Cardiac Amyloidosis
    • Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
    • Sarcoidosis
    • Sleep Apnea
  • Patient Tools
    • Preparing for Clinic Appointment
    • Heart Failure Zones
    • Daily Weight Record
    • Expressive Writing Workshop
    • vCHAT-ODYSSEE COVID-19 Study on Quality of Life & Well-Being
    • Heart and Stroke Foundation Report on Heart Failure
    • Additional Resources
  • About
    • About This Site
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Avoiding Alcohol

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Alcohol is toxic to the heart. If you have heart failure, you should avoid alcohol completely. Excessive consumption of alcohol also leads to increased fluid accumulation, which puts extra strain on your heart (see section on Fluid Restriction). In addition, alcohol can interfere with how some of your medications work.

It is recommended that all patients with heart failure completely abstain from alcohol.
In some cases, excessive alcohol consumption may be the cause of heart failure, and abstinence from alcohol may result in normalization of the heart’s function.

If you think that alcohol is a problem for you, speak to your healthcare provider. He/she may be able to suggest resources to help you deal with this problem.

Take Home Messages

  • Alcohol is toxic to the heart.
  • If you have heart failure, you should avoid alcohol altogether.

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Exercise and Heart Failure

In This Section:

  • Introduction to Heart Healthy Living
  • Nutrition Guide for Heart Failure
  • Potassium and Heart Failure
  • Avoiding Alcohol
  • Exercise and Heart Failure
  • Energy Conservation
  • Working with Heart Failure
  • Coping with Stress

About Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research

Through an integrated program of outstanding research, world-class education, and exceptional clinical care, the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research will provide the world with new diagnoses, treatments and tools to help people prevent, manage and survive the devastating consequences of heart failure.

Go to the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research Site

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