Doctors are more likely to become addicted to alcohol than normal citizens. “According to estimates, six percent of physicians in Germany are addicted to high-proof alcohol at some point in their lives, and seven to eight percent are addicted in general. For average citizens, on the other hand, the Hamburg Medical Association estimates the prevalence rate at three percent,” writes the “Deutsche Ärzteblatt“.
The central organ of the German medical profession sees the causes for the high risk of addiction among physicians primarily in the profession itself. Many doctors, it says, place too high demands on themselves and live up to the ideal of the selfless helper who works with maximum commitment at all times. “Others put themselves under emotional pressure because they let the fates of their patients get too close to them,” it continues.
Alcohol easily becomes a welcome outlet; often an addiction to drugs is added to this. Pharmaceuticals are easy for doctors to obtain.
The full text at Deutsches Ärzteblatt (german)
Source at Alkohol adé (german)
