The Addicted Health Professional
When Alcohol is the Drug of Choice
- tendency to isolate
- preference for working alone to avoid being caught
- irritability with peers, making mountains out of mole hills
- decrease in productivity as the disease progresses
(Once noted for doing incredible amounts of work in a short period of time, they now are taking more time in performing simple tasks.) - lateness and tardiness for work
- odor of alcohol on breath
- frequent intoxication at social functions
- isolation from social functions to drink alone
- morning hangovers
- slurred speech
- illegible writing in charts, if usually neat
When Other Drugs are Used
- arrive at work early and stay late in order to obtain drugs
- volunteer for additional shifts to increase access to drugs
- often volunteer to be in charge of the "med" keys
- prefer shifts where there is less supervision
- may exhibit rapid mood swings (irritable with patients one minute, then calm and jovial the next)
- make frequent trips to the bathroom
- experience frequent job changes in past 5 years
- have unexplained lapses between jobs
- choose positions where supervision is less likely
- exhibit dilated or constricted pupils
