According to a major medical institution in another part of the country, doctors and other medical professionals experience drug addiction at the same rate as everyone else.
Statistically, this means that just under 10 % of medical professionals are struggling under the weight of a drug addiction.
In addition to all the other negative consequences of drug addiction, addiction presents some special problems for medical workers.
- Because of the work involved, the medical profession is tightly regulated. Signs of drug or alcohol addiction, including what may seem like minor criminal offenses, can lead to professional license suspensions, the loss of hospital privileges and other disciplinary actions.
- It can be hard to recover one’s medical career after a person’s drug problem becomes public. Even if a professional can keep or reinstate their license to practice, re-earning the trust of the medical community and patients can take time.
- Medical professionals have easier access to potent drugs. However, there are also strict controls on how doctors and nurses use or prescribe medication. If they fall outside the laws of Texas or the United States in order to fuel their addiction, professionals can face serious criminal drug charges and accusations of related crimes like theft or fraud.
A doctor or nurse facing a drug or alcohol-related charge should know the options
If a Houston-area doctor gets charged with drunk driving, drug possession or another alcohol-related or drug-related offense, they will need to understand all their options if they want to protect their careers.
In some cases, it may make sense to admit one’s mistakes, seek appropriate help and move on.
Often, especially if a person has no prior criminal history, a medical professional may be able to avoid the most serious fallout from a brush with the law related to drugs or alcohol.
In other cases, though, a medical professional may be wrongly accused of a drug crime. They may have defenses available to their charge and can use those defenses to protect their reputation.