Drug-impaired professionals

FRANÇAIS :
Cet ouvrage s'intéresse aux problèmes d'usage de drogues parmi les professionnels, et aux outils et programmes de prise en charge adaptés. Sa matière première est constituée d'une série d'interviews menées entre 1992 et 1995 par l'auteur et ses assistants, auprès de professionnels dépendants (66 hommes et 25 femmes, médecins, dentistes, pharmaciens, infirmiers, avocats, pilotes de l'air), de 19 experts et de 5 personnes ayant été confrontées à ce problème dans leur entourage et souhaitant partager leur expérience. Ces témoignages sont utilisés comme des illustrations qui jalonnent les développements théoriques de l'auteur sur l'addiction, la dépendance, les vulnérabilités propres à certains milieux professionnels, et enfin les moyens de parvenir à la guérison : cheminement défini comme un "combat" à la fois physique, émotionnel et spirituel.
ENGLISH :
Drug abuse is at least as prevalent among highly regarded professionals as among the general public. This book describes the nature of the problem, the self-destructive dynamics involved, and the range of recovery tools and programs available. For years I conducted two seminars at UCLA to which I invited chemically dependent physicians to share their experiences and answer students' questions. The extraordinary revelations that emerged during those sessions prompted further investigation, in the form of indepth interviews. From 1992 through 1995 my assistants and I spoke with 91 addicted professionals (66 men and 25 women)- 21 physicians and medical students, 11 dentists, 13 pharmacists, 12 nurses, 21 attorneys, and 13 pilots; 19 experts (12 men and 7 women) who assist them in recovery; and 5 other people who felt that others might benefit from their experiences: a nurse who worked in the office of an addicted doctor, an oral surgeon whose chief resident was addicted, a pharmacy assistant who worked in a large university hospital, the spouse of an addicted pilot, and the father of a physician who died from an overdose. We found these people by networking with known former addicts and professional organizations. Once assured of our motives and trustworthiness, they spread the word, and others contacted us and expressed willingness to be interviewed. In all, we interviewed people in 21 states, the District of Columbia, and two Canadian provinces. Each interview, averaging one to one-and-a-half hours, was tape recorded, transcribed, and edited as necessary to preserve confidentiality. (Extract of the publication)