Why Therapists Drink, with Stephanie Zucchini

Healthcare professionals have a particular risk for substance abuse and other addictive behaviors (overeating, overwork, overshopping), because of the stress of our schedules, the pressure to perform perfectly, and the emotionally intense nature of the work itself. The COVID-19 pandemic has made helpers and healers even more vulnerable to over-reliance on alcohol or other drugs to cope. It’s also difficult for therapists, physicians, and nurses to admit the true extent of substance use because of fear of policing by governing boards. Deborah and Tracy interview Stephanie Zucchini, family therapist and substance abuse counselor, about addiction, how it develops, how it changes us, how our work is compromised, and what we can do about it.

Learn more about Stephanie Zucchini here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-zucchini-4b2085109/

https://deborahlcox.com/about/

Resources: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7319914/

https://alcohol.org/professions/medical-professionals/

https://ct.counseling.org/2021/11/women-and-alcohol-drinking-to-cope/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2265282/

https://www.smartrecovery.org

https://imis.counseling.org/store/detail.aspx?id=78109