Dear LFTP: what to say when the doctor asks if you drink
- What is the correct response when asked at a doctor's office or hospital if you drink or smoke, when it is only occasional?
A listener who drinks about once a month asks what the correct response is when a doctor's office asks 'do you drink?' — afraid saying yes implies heavier drinking. The hosts riff: one host gets needled about being a smoker (another retorts 'I'm not like that Hoosier Mike'); a heavier participant talks about doctors prescribing based on weight and the judgmental stares at the scale; one shares having quit smoking over a year ago after losing 200+ pounds and now getting high-fives. The advice: just tell the truth — 'I had one last week; usually it's about once a month' — because doctors are trying to help your health, not trap you.
More on Honesty
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Dear LFTP: explaining an invisible disability
- How do I explain my invisible disability to friends who act like I'm making it up?
Mike reads a letter from a listener with polyneuropathy, seven back surgeries, and arthritis in every joint who lives in constant invisible pain and doesn't know how to explain it to friends who act like she's making it up.
From No. 585 · Split Ends | Interacting with other Denominations
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Dear LFTP: ending a friendship or ghosting the young couple
- Should I ghost an unwanted friendship or tell them honestly I want to end it?
A listener wants to end a relationship with a younger couple who guilt-tripped them into visits, now with toddlers she dislikes; her husband disagrees and wants to keep up the charade.
From No. 568 · Like Jesus
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Dear LFTP: the boyfriend's uncomfortably hard bed and couch
- How do I tell my boyfriend his expensive bed and couch are too uncomfortable to sleep on?
A host hands the advice segment to Mike ("Alright. Mike, let's give some advice") and a host reads the Dear LFTP letter: a woman in a tumultuous-but-currently-good relationship…
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Dear LFTP: the aggressively negative colleague
- Should I make excuses or be honest with a negative, aggressive friend?
Mike reads the third Dear LFTP letter: a listener reconnected with a former colleague who has become negative, aggressive, and angry — bashing family, colleagues, and service workers, and refusing to stop talking politics.
From No. 554 · The Simple Life