The medical profession is a field that many would consider to be free of substance abuse problems, when in fact it is a demographic that is just as likely or more likely to encounter substance abuse problems as the general population. Cases of substance abuse in doctors and other prominent medical professionals are often more advanced by the time they are discovered and treated because physicians are more likely than other professionals to conceal their addiction. However, once they begin addiction rehabilitation treatment, they are statistically more likely to make a full recovery than other demographics are. Some other basic statistics on physician substance abuse are:

It is estimated that 13-percent of physicians will abuse a substance while practicing medicine, which is highly comparable to the general populous.

• Addicted physicians are more likely to be male.

• Alcohol and opioids are the most likely substances to be abused among physicians.

• Certain types of medical professionals, including anesthesiologists and psychiatrists, were found to be more prone to substance abuse than others.

• General physicians are more likely to be addicted to alcohol, where as physicians who specialize in anesthesiology are more likely to be addicted to opioids.

• Approximately 70-percent of physicians who enter treatment for addiction make a full recovery and return to practicing medicine.