Sick Doctors Trust

About the Trust

The Sick Doctors Trust was established in 1996 by a group of doctors who were themselves recovering from addictions and were concerned at the lack of effective arrangements for helping others who found themselves in difficulty as a result of alcohol or drug use.

• to both protect patients and offer hope to affected colleagues
• to identify doctors who are suffering from the effects of addiction to alcohol and other drugs.
• To persuade affected doctors that they have an illness which can be treated successfully and to assist them in accessing such treatment
• to assist doctors with the practical problems they may face in maintaining their livelihoods and supporting their families during their treatment and recovery
• to help recovering doctors to formulate a lifestyle that is conducive to uninterrupted continuing recovery, and
• to assist, consult and cooperate with any agencies that share the objectives of SDT.

The Sick Doctors Trust Helpline

We welcome enquiries from any source and operate a 24 hour helpline. Callers may remain anonymous and we frequently also receive calls from colleagues or members of the family of a doctor who is experiencing problems.  The majority of our calls are from doctors who think they may have a problem.

Through our helpline and other contacts, we encourage doctors, dentists, medical & dental students to accept that they have a treatable condition and to offer advice about treatment options. We facilitate introduction to other doctors & dentists who are in recovery from active addiction and can give advice on adopting a lifestyle that will minimise the chances of relapse.

Whereas we do not offer individual clinical assessment or treatment, we are usually able to suggest appropriate resources. Many of these are by nature, based on personal experiences, which include introduction to the BDDG (British Doctors and Dentists Group) through which the caller can be introduced to a local doctor who has been in the same situation and is now sober and drug-free.