Alcoholics in This 'Wonderful World of Chemistry'

MANY FACETS of my life have changed dramatically since I got sober in AA, July 31, 1967. Among them is my conception of the treatment of alcoholics. When I started practice some years ago, I just hated to get involved with alcoholics. They always seemed to feel they needed to be seen immediately (including in the middle of the night), and all they ever wanted was tranquilizers, sedatives, and emergency vitamin shots to come off a drunk. They didn't keep their appointments if they made any, and they didn't pay their bills. Besides, I had the feeling that if word got out I treated alcoholics, I would be swamped with them, and all my colleagues and my other patients would suspect that I, too, might be alcoholic.