ABSTRACT
When I was a medical student in New York City, my impression of the alcoholic was quite literally the skid-row drunk who had lost his job, his home, his family and his health in his pursuit of bottled spirits. My clinical experience with alcoholism did not change much during my Family Practice Residency. My first Christmas as an intern was spent taking care of someone who was drunk, fell down a set of stairs, broke his neck, and almost froze to death. During my first few years of private practice in a middle class suburban neighborhood, the problem of alcoholism seemed to disappear. That changed five years ago when a patient who was also a substance abuse counselor suggested on my intake questionnaire that I ask patients about a family history of alcoholism and a personal history of substance abuse. A recovered alcoholic and addict, from a prominent New England family, she opened my eyes to a different type of alcoholism, one that is very pervasive and democratic. I have since done much personal and professional work in the area of alcoholism through Twelve Step programs, workshops, and training seminars and now help to teach Family Practice residents about alcoholism.
