newleaves2012

I'm at 56 days. last December I lost my gf because of my drinking. was in a bad state and I took 10 lorazepams over the course of an evening. passed out. tried to drive my company vehicle the next morning. made it a few miles before running off the road and taking out a row of mailboxes. AND there was a witness who called the police. so now I have a pending dwi, ridiculous insurance rates coming, limited driving priviledges, thousands of dollars in fines and atty fees, another grand to fix the work vehicle(which I won't be able to drive anymore because my company can't have me on their ins policy anymore). which means that I am gonna have to buy my own work vehicle. this is some of the fallout I'm trying to clean up. but I am not worried because ive seen my future without alcohol and I'm living it.

Threshold

Life is life. If WE get better we are better able to deal with it.

Terminally Unique

Only someone in recovery, most likely someone who went to rehab themselves against their will, would ever consider threatening someone else's freedom by declaring them a danger to themselves and others, not in order to get them to quit drinking, but in order to lever them into 'treatment'. I suppose it's possible she could be an Al-Anon member, however. There is no alternative to 'treatment' and AA for impaired professionals. Here is how it works...

Suppose you are a doctor and show up drunk. A nurse will report you, not to the medical licensing board, but to the hospital diversion committee. That committee will then report you to the state diversion committee, and both will work in tandem to offer you a draconian contract (I have actually read one) that requires you not to abstain, but to enter an addiction treatment program immediately. If you object, even if you guarantee that you will never drink again, you will cease to be a doctor. You will also be required to attend AA for years to come, and to submit regular status updates on your progress in AA to the diversion committee.

Guess who sits on the committee? Zealots in recovery themselves, grateful that they were not reported years ago to the licensing board, and possibly more grateful that they can still have an occasional drink, as long as they call it a 'relapse'. They usually have a couple token 'normies' on board to keep up appearances, but otherwise, they are there to dish out 'tough love'. By active, systematic discrimination, the only ones who survive the crisis of addiction-related job impairment are the ones who become grateful, recovering alcoholics, who then undertake to carry the message to clients, colleagues, and others in the professional community.

Terminally Unique

One of my favorite pastimes when I was in AA was to call out the social workers, nurses, and doctors present during a reading of tradition 12 (personal anonymity) by asking if they always told their clients about their status as AA members while recommending AA or 12-Step rehab, and how they reconciled that with 'rigorous honesty'. They all would invariably squirm, and some would come up with some very convoluted explanations for their duplicity.

augustwest

right, you don't know. its the disease model conspiracy.

I feel for the op. its a tough situation for sure.

Terminally Unique

I do too, but at least now he knows what he's up against, though. If he comes back, he can PM me for someone to contact who may be able to provide better guidance than I did.

janiebluebird

Thats outrageous, and sounds illegal to me. In the US that would be a violation of the HIPPA laws in regard to privacy, no? I looked this up:

--------------------
The Privacy Rule, a Federal law, gives you rights over your health information and sets rules and limits on who can look at and receive your health information. The Privacy Rule applies to all forms of individuals' protected health information, whether electronic, written, or oral.

What Information Is Protected

Information your doctors, nurses, and other health care providers put in your medical record
Conversations your doctor has about your care or treatment with nurses and others
Information about you in your health insurer’s computer system
Billing information about you at your clinic
Most other health information about you held by those who must follow these laws
-------------------

I doubt that Canada's laws are much different. Look them up, talk to more lawyers.

BackToSquareOne

Reporting by Physicians of Impaired Drivers and Potentially Impaired Drivers

I believe they are required by law to report certain conditions in the states probably the same in Canada.

DayTrader

I like the less argumentative version of TU who's posts I've been reading lately........

DryRoastJim

First off, congratulations on 54 days!!

Secondly, something sounds very wrong with this!! I am sure that you have done and questioned what I am about to ask, but just for clarity:

Did you actually have a seizure? Is it documented somewhere?
If you did, there is NO WAY that you can be denied the medication!
Have you contacted any outside sources from social services? Not exactly sure where you live so I am not sure what they would be called, but I mean some type of advocate group, perhaps even AA etc?
Have you talked to work about this? I don't mean the addiction, but the seizure and the driving restrictions? If you are a good employee, the company might be able to help you out somehow.
Get another lawyer, if there is no proof that you had a seizure how can s/he go against a bogus diagnosis!!

I am so sorry to hear that this has happened, but do not let it detract you from your goal, staying sober!

Channel the energy that you use to use to keep the addiction going to keep your life going!

IMHO you have been shafted, this Dr has no right to mess up your life like this (unless a seizure condition does truly exist and if that is the case then the Dr must provide care for you!!)

Document everything, even go so far as to take a portable recording device with you to your Dr. If you can get proof that this Dr is playing "God" with your life, your chances of getting this idiot off your back should increase.

Consider even using the internet to expose this Dr. Start googling his/her name, and try to see if anyone else has been f'd over by this person.

Please keep us posted with what happens, I am very curious about this.

Thank you for sharing this with us too!!