In the kitchen, he reaches for the bottle and pours himself a drink just a small shot of liquid courage to begin a new day. He does not want to, but he cannot help himself. Fumbling with his stethoscope, he is out the door and off to fight the commute. His destination, County General Hospital. Perhaps it is not as farfetched as one would like to think.
Physicians hold a unique place in society.
Lauded as healers, they are the ones from whom people seek cures to their medical and mental problems. Because of their status, one may make the mistake of assuming they are immune to the ailments that afflict everyone else in the general population. However, doctors are indeed vulnerable to seemingly menial problems such as drug abuse. In a 1995 study conducted by the Journal of The American College of Surgeons , researchers sought to determine just how pervasive alcohol and other drug use was among surgical residents. Since alcohol use is not illegal and fairly common, this number may not seem to carry much impact.