Trust Your Doctor
Family doctors are often and appropriately the first professional one turns to when a patient recognizes they are struggling with depression, anxiety, anger, grief, etc. The family physician assesses the emotional pain one is experiencing and may suggest a lifestyle change, medication, counseling or a combination of all three.
An area which I have found to be a growing concern, is the patient’s unwillingness to inform their doctor how they cope with the pain they experience. Even when asked directly, they fail to acknowledge the degree to which alcohol or non-prescription drugs are used to numb their past or current pain. A patient may say they only have two drinks an evening, when in fact each drink contains 6 oz. of hard liquor. When such undisclosed consumption is then combined with drugs such as anti-depressants, sedatives, or anti-anxiety medication, the dosage can become lethal.
The term synergism, as used by health professionals, refers to the interaction of two different drugs in such a way that the total effect is greater than just the two drugs combined. For example, you are probably aware that when you have one drink you will experience a particular sensation and at another time when you take a different drug (prescription or recreational) you will feel another sensation.
For many people it would stand to reason that one drink plus one (sedative) = double the effect. However, this is most likely not the reality of what you will experience. Depending on the individual or drugs involved 1+1 can have the equivalent effect of having 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 drugs on board. This is the meaning of synergism, that the interaction of two drugs can produce symptoms far beyond what the patient expects. The results can be accidental death or overdose, impaired judgment or behavior resulting in harm to self or others. While prescriptions contain attached precautions, many individuals fail to adequately understand the significance of the warnings.
When I ask my clients why they haven’t informed their doctor that they use alcohol or recreational drugs to numb their pain, the answers vary but inevitably come down to a similar pattern. They express a sense of shame or guilt in how they have thus far coped. At times they have known the doctor since they were young and worry about disappointing their physician. Others have mentioned that their doctor assisted them through troubled times and they find themselves embarrassed to now admit that they are doing harm to the very body which their family doctor had previously healed.
I express to my clients that doctors, therapists and those in the helping profession, chose this line of work because they care deeply for those who suffer. Informing your doctor or therapist that alcohol or drugs have been used as a means to cope, is vitally important. Withholding this knowledge can have devastating effects when other medications are being used for the purpose of alleviating depression or anxiety.
If your doctor determines that you use alcohol or drugs to numb your emotional pain, he or she may refer you to a therapist. Addressing substance misuse and accompanying emotional pain surrounding this coping mechanism, is an important issue to resolve. Please remember, the physician and therapist role is not to judge, rather it is to seek the truth of how you cope and to assist you on the road to experiencing a more enriching life.
