I
can’t speak for other jurisdictions in Canada or other countries but in Ontario
an upsetting trend has been going on with doctors and their patients for over a
decade. I’ve been working in various treatment centres for over 16 years and started
noticing this occurrence with some of my clients as well as with fellow members
of my 12 Step Fellowship several years ago.
What
I’m talking about is people going to their doctors to seek help with their drinking/drugging
and the doctor reporting the person to the Ministry of Transportation who
subsequently takes away that person’s driver’s license. Not only is this punishing
someone for a crime they haven’t committed (i.e. – driving under the influence)
it is telling them they shouldn’t reach out for help because there will be
negative consequences right away. I first reached out to my physician for help around
1998. I had not yet started to drink and drive (that would come later along
with an arrest). He treated me like someone with a disease and not a criminal.
As a result, I didn’t think twice about being honest with him until the day he
moved away. He helped me begin my journey into sobriety as well as treating
some severe mental health issues I was going through. When I did get sober, I
tracked him down to make amends for showing up to his office drunk one day. If he
had reported me and my license was revoked, I would have had much more stress
in my life which would have caused a great deal of anxiety and depression. How did
I deal with such things back then? By drinking/drugging.
Speaking
of mental health – there was a recent article in the Toronto Star about how
doctors are now reporting patients to the Ministry of Transportation who come
to them with signs of depression. These people subsequently lose their license
as the MTO feels they may become dangerous drivers. What happens when these
people lose their license? They become even more isolated thus leading to
greater depression. This chaos has got to stop. I also heard on the radio (I
really hope it isn’t true) that doctors, in Ontario, get $35 for every person
they report to the MTO who lose their license. If this is, in fact true, I am a
truly disgusted.
Dave
the Dude
