Doctors' drinking 'out of control'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.JUNIOR DOCTORS drink up to six pints of beer a day and take illicit drugs including cannabis, LSD and ecstasy, according to a study.
The scale of excessive drink and drug taking may be putting at risk the health of the doctors and the safety of their patients, researchers from the University of Newcastle say.
The survey of 90 newly qualified doctors at 18 hospitals in the North- east of England found that 60 per cent were drinking above the recommended safety limits of two pints of beer or equivalent a day for a man and one and a half pints for a woman.
Ten doctors, four men and six women, were drinking at hazardous levels, defined as more than 25 pints or equivalent a week for a man and 17.5 pints for a woman.
One man drank 42 pints a week (six a day) and one woman drank 30 pints (more than four a day). Overall, the doctors' drinking had increased since they were medical students.
More than one-third of the men and almost one-fifth of the women used cannabis and more than one in ten of both sexes said that they used other illicit drugs, including magic mushrooms, LSD, ecstasy, amyl nitrate and cocaine. The main reason they gave for their drug use was "pleasure".
The survey revealed that one-fifth of the men and nearly half the women had high levels of stress and anxiety, but this was related to pressures of work, not drink and drugs.
The authors, writing in The Lancet, say that the lifestyle of junior doctors uncovered by the survey is unlikely to be confined to the North- east. "The current drinking habits, illicit drug use and stress in some junior doctors is of concern, not only for their own well-being, but also how they may affect patients' care."
They point out that mandatory urine screening is carried out by the British Army and some companies in Britain and among doctors in the United States. They ask whether routine or random screening for drugs and alcohol should be considered.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments