"I’m a doctor and an addict" What happens next?

Yasir Abbasi and Ruta Rele suggest services for health professionals

In the United Kingdom about one third of the population is addicted to nicotine, while 6% are addicted to alcohol. The public is usually influenced by the media, which mainly concentrates on hard core illegal drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and sometimes cannabis. Other substances, which are also of growing concern, get overlooked. These can be volatile substances (such as glue or aerosols), stimulants, hallucinogens, benzodiazepines, prescribed opioid analgesics, and non-prescribed methadone.

Health professionals, like everyone else, are susceptible to addiction. Yet few of us are aware of facilities available to doctors with substance misuse problems. These services respect vital issues like confidentiality and patient care.

Full stort at; BMJ Career Focus 2007;335:163