One Hundred Alcoholic Doctors: A 21-year Follow-up
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One Hundred Alcoholic Doctors: A 21-year Follow-up
ONE HUNDRED ALCOHOLIC DOCTORS: A 21-YEAR FOLLOW-UP -- Lloyd 37 (4): 370 -- Alcohol and Alcoholism
— Aims: This paper reports the long-term recovery rate among 100 alcoholic doctors over a 21-year period. Included are 20 doctors who relapsed and re-recovered, 10 who died of non-alcohol related causes and eight who died of alcohol-linked causes. Also reported are abstinence, attendance at self-help group meetings, mortality and employment. Methods: Selected doctors were the first 100 consecutive alcoholic doctors to become members of the North West Doctors and Dentists Group (NWDDG) between 1980 and 1988. Information sources combine prospective data obtained from each doctor at the time of first contact with the results of questionnaires distributed in 1988 and 2001 and continuing prospective reporting of mortality by relatives. Results: There is a 9% incidence of oral or oesophagopharyngeal cancer. Reported mortality, mostly by relatives, revealed that 24 doctors died directly of their alcoholism. We observed a 73% recovery rate for a 17-year average duration, over a 21-year period. Comparison of recovery with abstinence showed a strong correlation. For the first 6 months of recovery, there was also a strong relationship between recovery and attending meetings of self-help groups. This relationship is not sustained in the long term, though 14 doctors with an average recovery of 20 years still attend meetings regularly. Of 56 doctors currently known to have survived, 29 have retired and 27 are still working as doctors. Three doctors have been drinking normally for an average of 17 years.
— Aims: This paper reports the long-term recovery rate among 100 alcoholic doctors over a 21-year period. Included are 20 doctors who relapsed and re-recovered, 10 who died of non-alcohol related causes and eight who died of alcohol-linked causes. Also reported are abstinence, attendance at self-help group meetings, mortality and employment. Methods: Selected doctors were the first 100 consecutive alcoholic doctors to become members of the North West Doctors and Dentists Group (NWDDG) between 1980 and 1988. Information sources combine prospective data obtained from each doctor at the time of first contact with the results of questionnaires distributed in 1988 and 2001 and continuing prospective reporting of mortality by relatives. Results: There is a 9% incidence of oral or oesophagopharyngeal cancer. Reported mortality, mostly by relatives, revealed that 24 doctors died directly of their alcoholism. We observed a 73% recovery rate for a 17-year average duration, over a 21-year period. Comparison of recovery with abstinence showed a strong correlation. For the first 6 months of recovery, there was also a strong relationship between recovery and attending meetings of self-help groups. This relationship is not sustained in the long term, though 14 doctors with an average recovery of 20 years still attend meetings regularly. Of 56 doctors currently known to have survived, 29 have retired and 27 are still working as doctors. Three doctors have been drinking normally for an average of 17 years.
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Reminds me of something I heard in an AA meeting once. "You will stop drinking. Someday you will stop." Meaning, dead people don't drink.
Something seems contradictory about paying to have a doctor treat you, trusting that they have sworn to do you no harm, and then not knowing if that doctor has been swigging vodka in between patients. I'm not nearly as concerned if the guy who fixed my lawn mower has been drinking. But some professions (anesthesiologists and surgeons for example) actually require precision and clear thinking.
Seems sneaky that addicts can treat their patients without revealing their condition. Would be sort of like me having a secret that there's no money in my bank account to cover the check I just wrote to the doctor. Oops! My finances are private.
Something seems contradictory about paying to have a doctor treat you, trusting that they have sworn to do you no harm, and then not knowing if that doctor has been swigging vodka in between patients. I'm not nearly as concerned if the guy who fixed my lawn mower has been drinking. But some professions (anesthesiologists and surgeons for example) actually require precision and clear thinking.
Seems sneaky that addicts can treat their patients without revealing their condition. Would be sort of like me having a secret that there's no money in my bank account to cover the check I just wrote to the doctor. Oops! My finances are private.
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now if the lawnmower repair person doesn't secure the blade properly and it becomes a deadly or maming projectile would you think differently?
or the electrician that miswires your home and the family dies in a fire?
No aspect of society is immune from addiction and that is just a fact of life.
The bright side of an alcoholic doctor is that many colleagues are fairly good at recognizing signs of impairment. doctors, lawyers, judges, can be highly motivated to recover because the threat of losing their license is a good motivator.
so after the mower blade impales someone and the repair person is threatened to seek sobriety telling them they will be barred from repairing more mowers doesn't soend like that good a reason to stop drinking.
or the electrician that miswires your home and the family dies in a fire?
No aspect of society is immune from addiction and that is just a fact of life.
The bright side of an alcoholic doctor is that many colleagues are fairly good at recognizing signs of impairment. doctors, lawyers, judges, can be highly motivated to recover because the threat of losing their license is a good motivator.
so after the mower blade impales someone and the repair person is threatened to seek sobriety telling them they will be barred from repairing more mowers doesn't soend like that good a reason to stop drinking.
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Originally Posted by steve11694 
The bright side of an alcoholic doctor is that many colleagues are fairly good at recognizing signs of impairment. doctors, lawyers, judges, can be highly motivated to recover because the threat of losing their license is a good motivator.
Likewise, I would think my odds of dying by being hit by a flying lawn mower blade aren't quite a high as having an alcoholic monitoring my oxygen levels or holding my guts in his hands.
In the military, members are all subjected to random drug testing. How about requiring random AST/ALT liver blood level tests? Would be easy enough to require of the medical community. Many professions are required to have continuing education. Could be similar. Or if you tell certain clinicians about a case of abuse, they have taken an oath to report it. Are medical professionals required to report their colleagues?
So, I'm sure it will never happen. But I'm still not convinced about the lawn mower guy. I think my odds would be worse just driving down the road and being hit by a drunk driver. I kind of expect there are plenty of really stupid people who could put my life at risk with their drinking. But not really happy about the doctors doing it because I believe there is a given level of trust between patient and doctor and the "slips" aren't part of the "trust" relationship. I don't necessarily "trust" my lawn mower guy.
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some people may like to show more outrage over addicted health care professionals. lets not forget nurses who are a vital link and whose mistakes can also hurt people.
is not uncommon for committee members that oversee impaired licensed professionals to be recovered addicts themselves. I know one personally. he has said it is hard to bs a bs'er. and since he knows all the bs already the controls are tighter.
although you may not want to think about the addict bus mechanic whose mistakes may cause an accident, or the electrician that leads to loss of life, again, addiction is here in every level of society.
anesthesiologists in training must consent to random testing since they have a very high rate of addiction? access related.
i think ethically they are supposed to report impaired colleagues, staff, nurses, etc. i dont know if it is a legal requirement.
is not uncommon for committee members that oversee impaired licensed professionals to be recovered addicts themselves. I know one personally. he has said it is hard to bs a bs'er. and since he knows all the bs already the controls are tighter.
although you may not want to think about the addict bus mechanic whose mistakes may cause an accident, or the electrician that leads to loss of life, again, addiction is here in every level of society.
anesthesiologists in training must consent to random testing since they have a very high rate of addiction? access related.
i think ethically they are supposed to report impaired colleagues, staff, nurses, etc. i dont know if it is a legal requirement.
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