The CEO of Betty Ford says it's your doctor's office:
An expert on alcoholism and addiction, Dr. Garrett O'Connor struggled for years with an alcohol problem of his own. He saw several doctors during that period but "the only person who ever said I might have a problem," he notes, "was my dentist." During some routine dental work "all my teeth fell out. I was going to sue [the dentist], until he pointed out my liver was deficient, not his skills." O'Connor claims his experience is far from unusual; many family doctors are still unequipped, he claims, to help patients with addiction.
There was a study done at Columbia University where they surveyed primary care physicians and found that 94 per cent were unable to diagnose addiction. They were diagnosing high blood pressure or depression. They were seeing only the symptoms of addiction, and not the disease itself. Sometimes, the most dangerous place for an addict or alcoholic to be looking for treatment is in a doctor’s office. It’s a terrible tragedy.
...alcohol is the great imitator of all diseases, because it goes to every cell in the body and can be present as a neurological disorder, a gastrointestinal one, a cardiac disorder, high blood pressure, a skin disorder, an eating disorder and as the whole raft of psychiatric disorders, including depression and bipolar disorder.
4 comments:
I could not agree more. Recently a general practice doctor gave me Valium for stress even after I explained that it was addictive and dangerous for me.
Prof David Clark at http://davidclarkwired.blogspot.com/2008/05/lack-of-understanding-of-addiction-by.html has done some research and has found that even specialist alcohol and drug workers have problems with the concept of addiction.
I've had similar experiences. Recovering people have to be pretty well educated about safe and unsafe meds and they need to know that they can't trust most doctors to make that distinction for them.
Most people including doctors, don't understand addiction. Many doctors have problems themselves. Rehab specialists are the right people to talk to concerning rehabs and addiction.
frd, doctor gave you valium! thatz amazing you say here that you told him that its addictive. what did he say? you shouldnt hae taken the Valium it surely is addictive. It possesses anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, sedative, skeletal muscle relaxant and amnestic properties. It is commonly used for treating anxiety, insomnia, seizures, alcohol withdrawal, and muscle spasms. It may also be used before certain medical procedures (such as endoscopies) to reduce tension and anxiety, and in some surgical procedures to induce amnesia. but general prescription of the drug diazepam (now it is known as) is not very recommended
vikram
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Comprehensive resources for those looking for recovery from addiction. http://www.addictionrecovery.net
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