225: The Plight of Physicians Struggling with Addiction with Steven Orebaugh

Anybody can be impacted by addiction, whether you’re a doctor or not. And for certain people in healthcare, anesthesiologists most especially, access to drugs like opioids is super easy.  On this episode, Duane speaks with Steven Orebaugh about how his own personal experiences of witnessing his colleagues get trapped in addiction inspired him to write the book, “The Stairs on Billy Buck Hill.” He wrote the book having witnessed a number of ruined careers among his peers because they have access to these highly addictive substances. And so, Steven hopes that his book will help fellow physicians and healthcare workers create that healthy fear so they could steer clear of addiction. Steven is an anesthesiologist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He has published some 75 works in the medical literature, including peer-reviewed articles, textbook chapters, and review articles.  In this episode, you will hear: Why anesthesiologists have easy access to drugs Understanding how opioids become the downfall of some people The impact addiction has on physicians addicted to drugs About the book, The Stairs on Billy Buck Hill Dealing with the shame and guilt as a doctor The need for emotional support Nurturing a healthy fear Subscribe and Review Have you subscribed to our podcast? We’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet.  We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast. Supporting Resources: https://www.steveorebaugh.com/  The Stairs on Billy Buck Hill https://www.amazon.com/Stairs-Billy-Buck-Hill/dp/1620068664  NovusMindfulLife.com Episode Credits If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.