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When the addict is a doctor

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at May 17, 2016

ModernHealthcare.com is reporting about the resources physicians receive when they either admit or are caught using controlled substances.

In, “When the addict is a doctor – The trend against punitive measures runs into resistance when the addict could cause medical errors,” Steven Ross Johnson reports about how the “growing number of Americans with a friend, family member or neighbor affected by heroin or prescription opioid abuse has inspired lawmakers and law enforcement officials to move toward treatment and away from punitive measures such as incarceration. It is an approach some are concerned healthcare providers have not fully embraced when they deal with substance abuse in their ranks.”

“Although Grinspoon credits the treatment program for his recovery, he said state programs still unnecessarily punish physicians while they’re trying to get help. In his case, the medical board took disciplinary action against him when he failed two drug tests in the gap between enrolling in the program and starting treatment.”

“The problem is you don’t go immediately from addiction to recovery,” said Grinspoon, who now counsels other doctors about their substance abuse.

Grinspoon wrote about his experience with drug addiction in the new book Free Refills: A Doctor Confronts His Addiction.

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