Doctors have a high-stress work environment. They have a lot of pressure on them every day. Like workers in other professions, they sometimes turn to alcohol as a way to cope with that. Others may just drink socially.
Most medical professionals know how to handle alcohol, and they do not drink too much. According to one study, that’s true for about 90% of doctors. They stop drinking if they reach their limit or they think it’s becoming an issue.
After all, doctors are in a unique position to really understand the harmful ramifications of excessive drinking.
However, for that other 10% of medical professionals, they start drinking too much. For them, it can:
- Impact their own health in a negative fashion.
- Adversely affect many areas of their lives and their well-being overall.
- Negatively impact their ability to practice medicine.
That’s very concerning for you as a patient. Clearly, if you go in to see the doctor and they are actively under the influence of alcohol, you are not getting the level of care you deserve. However, even if the doctor just drank too much the night before, he or she could be tired, hungover and unwell. Is that the combination you want when a doctor is trying to perform surgery or diagnose a potentially fatal illness?
You absolutely deserve to work with medical professionals who put you first and give you a reasonably high level of care. When that’s not what you get, and if you suffer in any way as a result, you need to know what legal steps you can take.
