The alcoholic physician: a survey

Abstract

The authors conducted interviews with 98 recovered alcoholic physicians, all of whom had been entirely abstinent for a minimum of one calendar year. Psychiatry was the only specialty clearly overrepresented. A disproportionate number of subjects reported high standing in their medical school classes. Nearly half of the sample had experienced difficulty with drugs other than alcohol. While legal sanctions and admission to health care and correctional institutions were common among this group, relatively little formal response of a disciplinary nature from colleagues or medical organizations was reported.