by Delbert Chumley, MD
Bexar County Medical Society
President 2007
We all have experienced a bad
day at the office. It goes with
the territory. But just imagine
having a growing list of disgruntled
patients; being weeks behind on paperwork;
losing the trust of your co-workers;
constantly running behind schedule
and feeling lost and disorganized while
constantly trying to hide the smell of
alcohol on your breath.
Sounds more like a nightmare than
a bad day, yet we all have colleagues
who face this or even worse problems
each day of their lives due to drug or
alcohol addiction.
You would think that physicians due
to their education and experience
along with the potential risk to their
career wouldn’t get themselves into
this type of situation. However, the
AMA estimates 13 percent of us will
have abused alcohol or drugs in our
lifetime, with 6 percent developing
chemical dependence. Although exact
figures are hard to come by, physicians
probably exhibit the same rate of
addiction as the general population:
about 8 to 12 percent.
Unfortunately, many doctors experiencing
problems with drugs or alcohol
are reluctant to seek help. They usually
deny the magnitude of the problem in
their lives, just as others around them
might deny what they are observing
due to their own discomfort or lack of
knowledge about how to help.
Physicians are fearful that to reach
out for help might result in a report to
regulatory authorities that might represent
an end to their careers, even
though this is seldom the case.
What happens more often is, by not
facing the problem; the physician’s
addiction is detected by an outside
source such as the hospital staff, a
patient, or worse — a run-in with the
law resulting in a report to and an
investigation by the Medical Board
with subsequent disciplinary action.
The good news, however, is that
doctors respond extremely well to treatment
when they have the appropriate
services available to them. Research has
shown that the vast majority make a full
and complete recovery.
For the last 18 years, our physician
community has been blessed to have
the services of our BCMS Physician
Health and Rehabilitation Committee
(PHR). Even though addiction is difficult
to understand primarily because
the exact underlying cause remains a
mystery and it is still viewed by many
as a character fault rather than a disease,
this organization of dedicated
and gifted volunteer physicians have
helped hundreds of our colleagues
return to productive, fulfilling lives.
Their results and success are recognized
throughout the state and they
are regarded as an exemplary county
medical society PHR committee. We
owe them our sincerest gratitude for
their ongoing work in this challenging
area.
One of the realities of addiction is
that it can not only have a devastating
effect on one’s career and family, but
also on one’s income and savings. The
potential loss of practice revenue and
expense of legal representation could
result in financial ruin.
The TMA has a PHR Assistance Fund
through which financial aid is available
to physicians who cannot afford
treatment for depression, chemical
dependency or other problems, or
whose families need short-term living
expenses while the physician is receiving
treatment.
Consider helping a colleague in
need by making a tax deductible donation
to this very worthwhile cause. Visit
the TMA website (www.texmed.org) for
more information.
It falls to each of us as physicians to
care about the well being of our colleagues,
to be watchful for the signs of
addiction and to be prepared to
respond. With respect to this problem,
we really are our brothers’ and sisters’
keepers. None of us are invincible.
back to top
