More Than Half of Pandemic Healthcare at Risk for Mental Health Issues and Alcohol Abuse   

More Than Half of Pandemic Healthcare at Risk for Mental Health Issues and Alcohol Abuse  

Given the current COVID-19 health crisis, every U.S. community depends on the mental health of its frontline healthcare workers, including emergency and hospital personnel, doctors and nurses. According to a new study, those regularly facing pandemic-related stressors are at greater risk for mental health problems. The research, which was published in the November 2020 online…

Rehab 101: A “First Person” Account of the Nature of Addiction

Rehab 101: A “First Person” Account of the Nature of Addiction

If you’re anything like me — a person in recovery from a substance use disorder (aka addiction to alcohol and/or drugs) – you’ve had direct and likely protracted experience with the pain, loneliness, and despair that comes with the territory of having a chemical dependency. To help clarify any question you may have about the…

Prescription Drug Abuse Among Doctors – Not Uncommon, But Treatment is Available and Recovery is Possible

Prescription Drug Abuse Among Doctors – Not Uncommon, But Treatment is Available and Recovery is Possible

According to research conducted by Lisa Merlo, PhD, a researcher at the University of Florida’s Center for Addiction Research and Education and published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine, while doctors abuse alcohol or drugs at about the same rate as the general public, they’re five times as likely to abuse prescription drugs.[1] There are…

The Challenges Addicted Doctors & Nurses Face Require Specialized Diagnosis and Treatment – PART TWO

The Challenges Addicted Doctors & Nurses Face Require Specialized Diagnosis and Treatment – PART TWO

[Note to Reader: This is “Part Two” in a 2-part blog-post. Please go to Archives for “Part One.”] In seeking to maximize patient safety, all U.S. states offer some form of an “impaired healthcare professionals program” aimed at assisting doctors, nurses and others in the healthcare field who’re struggling with a substance use disorder to…

The Challenges Addicted Doctors & Nurses Face Require Specialized Diagnosis and Treatment – PART ONE 

The Challenges Addicted Doctors & Nurses Face Require Specialized Diagnosis and Treatment – PART ONE 

The Challenges Addicted Doctors & Nurses Face Require Specialized Diagnosis and Treatment – PART ONE  Most people in the U.S. consider doctors and nurses to be representatives of healthy habits and lifestyles, and indeed research has shown that assumption is generally true. Those in the healthcare field tend to smoke less and exercise more.[1] However,…

A POV About Treatment and Recovery for Those in The Healthcare Industry

A POV About Treatment and Recovery for Those in The Healthcare Industry

Most people would agree: Being a healthcare worker—especially during the current COVID-19 pandemic—isn’t a career for the faint of heart. Doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals shoulder a lot of responsibility and regularly work in demanding, high-pressure environments. (I can’t imagine a more stressful place to work, these days, than a hospital or medical clinic.)…

Facts to Consider Regarding Alcohol Detox if You Think You Have a Drinking Problem and Want to Quit

Facts to Consider Regarding Alcohol Detox if You Think You Have a Drinking Problem and Want to Quit

One of the primary symptoms of having an alcohol use disorder (*: see below for definition) is it tells us we don’t have a problem. Even when we reach for a bottle to “take the edge off.” Even when we lie to a loved one, employer or co-worker about our drinking. Even when we find…