Physicians & Substance Abuse

Substance abuse among physicians is a serious issue. Physicians impaired by alcohol or drugs endanger the patients in their care, and those physicians risk losing their licenses to practice medicine.

Prevalence

• AddictionSearch.com reports that 8 to 12 percent of physicians have a substance abuse problem. Anesthesiologist and emergency room doctors are more likely to have problems than doctors in other specialties.

Types of Substance Abuse

• Physicians sometimes abuse alcohol and many types of drugs, including marijuana, cocaine and heroin. Physicians sometimes abuse prescription drugs as well. Many physicians have easy access to narcotics on the job.

Concerns

• Physicians impaired by alcohol or drugs may have difficulty thinking clearly when treating patients. Surgeons under the influence may have trouble with hand-eye coordination when operating.

Detection

• Sometimes it's hard to detect substance abuse in physicians because many alcoholics and drug addicts continue to function normally even though they are using. Eventually, they start to appear impaired or make errors on the job, and the problem becomes apparent.

Treatment

• Treatment for physicians with substance abuse problems may include inpatient or outpatient care, individual therapy, group therapy and 12-step groups like Alcoholics Anonymous. Treatment providers usually administer regular drug tests to make certain physicians abstain from further substance abuse.