Anyone think I should be concerned?
 

I read in the RR book last night about agencies that keep records of alchoholics and the dangers of being labeled one. I recently went to a physician for headaches. The doc determined that the headaches were a result of high BP from another med and smoking. Theory was that since I had stopped consuming alcohol regularly, my BP spiked a bit and the "self medicating" had stopped so I was actually cognizant of the pain.

I never told the doc I was an alcoholic or even alluded to having a problem with drinking, I simply said, "It's time to grow up a bit, so I stopped drinking".

Anyone think I need to be worried about this? I'm sure the MD noted the reduction of comsumption as a cause for the headaches as they prescribed a med to lower it. This should be covered under the privacy laws, correct?

No, I believe you'd have to be diagnosed as an alcoholic and have your insurance cover something in regards to the problem. I've been diagnosed by an AODA counselor, got all sorts of pamphlets from my insurance company and then almost cried because I was "on the record". But after getting a new job and new insurance, I haven't faced any negative consequences so I'm not too concerned.

I thought RR did not consider alcoholism a disease? In which case, your book is warning you about the danger of others labeling you as something that does not not exist. That strikes me as an odd notion to be parading around as 'rational'.

I try not to let the fears of others get in my head, especially if those fears are about the opinions of others. That is pretty far from the center of the work I need to do. From time to time I find similar "gems of wisdom" in my thoughts that seem to loose both there gem-like and wisdom-like quality as I move forward, but I am probably just being a snaggletoothed snorfblatter.

RR doesn't view alcohol addiction as a disease, our society does though and they will try to label you according to those beliefs and make you suffer unnecessary consequences. Just because you're Jewish doesn't mean that people will stop celebrating Christmas.

And Watcher isn't even talking about the fears of others, he's talking about the fear of what can happen if the medical industry labels you as having a disease and high premiums are definitely something I'd fear over something that is simply just an addiction.

Hi watcher,

I read medical cases for a living, and you would be shocked at how LITTLE doctors put in their charts. Unless it was the "Chief Complaint" you were being seen for, I'd forget about it. Even if it were the "CC", the coding for this kind of stuff doesn't include alcoholism as a diagnosis. Alcoholism as a label isn't even in the DSM axis diagnoses (psych diagnoses) and it wouldn't likely be in your medical record for high blood pressure. Even THEN, medical records are not "discoverable" unless there is a lawsuit or an agency request granted by court order to look at them, which is highly unlikely unless you were being sued in a DWI lawsuit.

Lots of info, yes. I don't think you need to worry. This, however is the reason I think it is a BAD IDEA to put medical records on line where any hacker can get at them.

FT

I really would not worry about it. I have never read that in Trimpey's book, but my paranoid mother told me a long time ago never to admit stuff like that to doctors - and it's one of the few things she has suggested that I actually took heed to for some reason.

But honestly, try not to sweat it.

Just checking other opinions, that's all.

I must admit that two of the things that led me to RR were my refusal to accept the "disease" concept and the refusal to admit no power. Sometimes while reading I have to stop and pinch myself as I feel I could have wrote some of that book from my own thoughts!

I don't care about the disease model of addiction. I think it was introduced as a reaction to the moral model of alcoholism somewhat. If one eliminates the pathogen out of the disease model equation, then it describes the natural course of addiction pretty well I think. I like to think in terms of identifying a problem and finding a remedy...no need to classify it one way or the other.

As for having no power to stop drinking or drugging for any considerable time just doesn't make any sense to me. Anywho, cant discuss that topic here in Secular Connections anyway.