Partying, alcohol, smoking and drugs

Should I stop partying and going out? 

It’s important to have some fun when you can and start getting back to the life you had before your transplant. Doing things you enjoy, and socialising with friends and family, will also improve your mental wellbeing. 

However, when it comes to nights out, your medical condition will limit what you can do: 

• You’ll always need to consider the risk of getting an infection. 

• You might find you tire easily and still feel tired the following day. For more information, see our page on fatigue. 

• You might need to plan your social life accordingly. If there is something you’d really like to do, give yourself plenty of time to recover. 

Can I drink alcohol after my transplant?

Unless your medical team tells you otherwise, you can still drink alcohol after transplant if your recovery is going well. 

While many of us find drinking an important part of our social lives, try to be sensible and don’t overdo it. Hangovers can feel awful at the best of times, so you might want to avoid them during recovery. You will probably find: 

• you can’t drink as much as you could before your transplant 

• it takes longer to recover from drinking a lot of alcohol. 

For adults who regularly drink, the maximum recommended amount is 14 units of alcohol per week. For more information, you can visit the NHS or Drinkaware website. 

Can I smoke after my transplant?

It’s common knowledge that smoking tobacco is bad for your health – we know it can cause different types of cancer and reduce your lung function. However, smoking can also affect the way your body reacts to medicine. If you’ve had a stem cell transplant, this could mean your immunosuppressive drugs and other medications don’t work properly. 

While disposable and reusable vapes haven’t been around for long enough to have clear studies and research, they’re generally seen as less harmful than cigarettes and tobacco. However, it’s best to speak to your medical team about your experience with vaping and how often you vape. 

It’s your own choice to continue smoking after transplant, but you might want to consider trying to cut down or stop completely. For help with quitting smoking, talk to your medical team or visit the NHS website. 

Can I use drugs after my transplant?

Generally speaking, it’s best to avoid using recreational drugs during recovery from any sort of medical treatment. Using recreational drugs can: 

• Affect your state of mind – This can make it more difficult to cope with any problems you might be experiencing. Over time, it might also affect your mental wellbeing. 

• Affect your medication – Drugs can interfere with the effectiveness of certain types of cancer medications. They can also have an effect on things like the anaesthesia you might need for an operation. 

You need to be honest with your medical team about which drugs you take and how often you take them. Nobody will judge you, but your choices could seriously affect your health and how your body reacts to medication. 

The way you consume certain drugs could also increase your risk of infection, so make sure you tell your medical team all of the relevant details.