"5 Things About Suboxone Doctors in Kentucky"
by Dr. Thomas Ingram, MD
When asked, most doctors would say that they became a doctor to help people. And that is certainly true with me. A harder question is, "What makes you different from all of those doctors who also wanted to help people?" After 18 years of practice, I can now say that a good doctor is one who learns that every patient is more than just a list of medications and medical problems. Each patient has a unique story and a unique set of circumstances. Listening to your patient goes a long way in understanding what they want and what they need. A good doctor is one part mechanic, one part truth teller, one part confidant and all parts caring. I strive every day to be a good doctor.
I became a specialist in addiction medicine because I have learned the enormous impact that addictions have on individuals, their families and society. Addiction is a potentially fatal illness. Treating addiction is a chance to save lives immediately. It is a chance to restore parents to their children, spouses to their loved ones and overall hope to the hopeless. Again, a good doctor understands the impact that poor decisions can have on a patient and the family. This dynamic is seen nowhere better than addiction medicine.
There are a lot of misunderstandings about addiction. Growing research has clearly shown that addiction is a brain disease. It is not a disorder of will. Those suffering from addictions are not bad people. Yes, they can make bad decisions, but often their brain chemistry drives these poor decisions. When someone suffers a heart attack we will rally around them and support them and say things like "Boy, you are lucky you did not die. Aren't you glad it was caught in time?" When someone's addiction is discovered, we avoid them and think "Why don't they just quit? Can't they see what damage they are doing?" Both conditions are a mixture of disease and poor choices. One patient is supported, the other made to feel like a criminal. There are standard medicines to treat people with heart attacks. There are also standard medicines to treat people with addictions. Suboxone is one of those medicines.
I have been practicing addiction medicine a long time, and I have lived in Kentucky even longer. After years of experience, I have come to believe the following things:
1. Suboxone doctors in Kentucky are hard to find.
2. They are often very expensive.
3. They are able to prescribe medicines but often lack the other knowledge and support necessary to treat addiction.
4. They do care about their patients.
5. They are battling a chronic, sometimes fatal, relapsing illness that destroys patients and their families.
If you are looking for a Suboxone doctor in Kentucky, but for whatever reason, the Stepworks Suboxone clinic is not a good fit for you, call us anyway. We have good working relationships with other Suboxone doctors in my area, and we'll be happy to help you take the next step. There is help. You just need to ask for it.
Dr. Thomas Ingram is a family practice physician in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Dr. Ingram completed his undergraduate and professional degrees at the University of Kentucky. He completed his residency at the Medical University of South Carolina. He formed Heartland Primary Care in 1999 and Stepworks Addiction Treatment in 2003.
