On a daily basis, people posting on SR are encouraged to seek the care of a physician (or nurse practitioner or other health care professional) because of the multiple health and safety issues involved in alcoholism, addiction, getting sober and living in recovery.
Many -- perhaps most -- of them are new to SR. It's important for them to know that state and federal law falls on the side of their confidentiality and privacy. Our health is important and I'd not want fellow SRers, particularly those new to our community, to think that health care providers can play recklessly or loosely with our confidential health information. They cannot. In my previous work -- where I spent many years before entering a new sector a few years ago -- I was deeply immersed in the implementation of the HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), in addition to state laws governing patient confidentiality. It is too big an issue to explain here but you can learn more here:
Health Information Privacy | HHS.gov
The upshot: If you need care from a health care professional, get it.
Regarding shame and stigmas: No one *loves* being someone who has had alcoholism and/or addiction in their lives. I've recently had some "stuff" that necessitated help beyond the usual clinical care. Being up front about my past helps me help my doctor take the best care of me that's possible. The way I look at it, it's much like how it's important for her to know that I'm allergic to penicillin. (Just like Dee said.)
And while it's not fun to share this part of our lives with anyone, including a nurse or physician, bear in mind that they're people who went into their chosen fields out of a desire to help. When I told my new doctor I've been sober for three years, she didn't look down on me.
She high-fived me.