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Let me tell you about a recent interaction I had with
multiple doctors while trying to place a first responder into treatment. Doctors (most like any profession) do amazing
work, have incredible knowledge but when it comes to their overall education on
addiction, they don’t know s%&t. This
first responder finally wanted help and turned to the system. This person was in acute intoxication and
sought help through the medical system.
I personally drove the first responder to the emergency room upon his
request as the alcoholism was at such a level it was in my estimation impacting
their health and wellness. This first
responder is also a long time drinker, with multiple relapses and was drinking
a minimum of a 5th of vodka a day.
I’ve placed 100’s of first responders into treatment over
the years and have never ran into anything like I did today. I already had medical assisted detox,
residential treatment and a sober escort set up for the first responder. Problem was, they were still too intoxicated
to get on the plane. Standard protocol
would be to stabilize the first responder, sober them up as much as possible
through medication and get them on the plane.
It should be noted that in the home town of this first responder there
are no adequate treatment centers or detox facilities as they are all the ones
where this first responder takes the people they encounter, arrest and commit.
In the ER the doctor refused a standard taper protocol to be
able to get this first responder to travel on the plane due to the fact that if
they took all of the pills at once they could overdose and die, too much
liability for him. Really??? Doesn’t that go for just about any medication
you prescribe? He had no response for me
when I posed that question to him. I
then asked him what about seizures and if the first responder could receive any
of that to avoid a potentially deadly situation. The doctor again refused saying they monitor
severe alcohol withdrawal through fluids.
Again… are you kidding me? I
asked the doctor if he was asking the first responder to go “cold turkey” which
we both know can be deadly. He said no,
but didn’t feel comfortable prescribing any medication which should be noted is
used nationwide throughout the medical industry. Obviously the doctor did not like to be
challenged and our communication broke down and we left. What a joke.
