>
> > Even brain surgery or flying a 747?
>
>Of course. Splitting atoms as well.
>
>Dennis
>
[....]
>Contrary to the shabby, shuffling junkie stereotype, the
>anesthesiologists most at risk of addiction are the best in the
>business. They tend to be young, ambitious, highly talented
>physicians who graduated at the top of their medical-school classes
>and are ranked among the most popular and requested at their hospitals.
>
>"My experience has been that the substance abusers are almost always
>male," says the University of Texas's Dr. Arens. "The all-American
>kid who's outgoing, very pleasant, well liked, very good
>technically--the ideal resident."
>
>In most occupations, two warning signs of an on-the-job addict are
>chronic absenteeism and crumbling job performance. But in a perverse
>twist, the opposite is true of hooked anesthesiologists: A study by
>the Association of Anesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland found
>that addicted anesthesiologists are extreme go-getters, always
>volunteering for extra shifts and holiday rotations. They're never
>seen heading off to Starbucks on coffee breaks, and even though
>they're predominantly 30 to 39 years old, they're never hanging with
>the gang at happy hour.
>
>"The ability to consume large doses of drugs and still perform his
>job lends the impaired anesthesiologist the feeling of being in
>control of his addiction," says Susan Polk, M.D., an
>anesthesiologist at the University of Chicago who has been involved
>in anti-addiction training. Plus, unlike other junkies who have to
>hit the streets to score, anesthesiologists procure their drugs at
>work, so they know they have to look sharp while on the clock.
>
>And when the symptoms of addiction can no longer be hidden, they can
>still be explained away. Mood swings, irritability, coughing,
>diarrhea--all can be chalked up to the normal collateral damage of
>working in a high-stress, germ-rich environment. Consequently, an
>anesthesiologist can abuse his drug supply for years before causing
>a tragedy that leads to his exposure.
>
>When There's No Drug Test
>
>Any addict with a degree in anesthesiology is an expert at,
>literally, covering his tracks. Some implant a plastic port under
>the skin in their ankle so they can shoot up during an operation.
>Because they're behind a drape next to the patient's head, no one
>can see. Some are even more creative. One psychiatrist who treats
>addicted doctors had an anesthesiologist client who administered
>fentanyl anally. "It's cumbersome," the psychiatrist says, "but
>ingenious. No syringes, no needle marks."
[...]
>http://health.msn.com/general/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100148089