Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Doctors and pharmacists more likely to be addicted

From the Columbus (Ga.) Ledger Enquirer:
Tom was ashamed to meet the other members of his new therapy group for prescription drug addicts. After all, he was a pharmacist with more than 30 years experience.

He was in for a surprise.

"The room was full of doctors, dentists, nurses, medical technicians," says Tom, who chose not to use his real name. "That's when I realized just what a huge problem this really is."

In fact, doctors and pharmacists suffer from prescription drug addiction at a higher rate than the general population.

The American Medical Association estimates that 10-15 percent of doctors and pharmacists suffer from prescription drug addiction. By comparison, less than 5 percent of U.S. residents use a painkiller nonmedically in a year, according to the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. ...more

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