And lastly, a little bit about myself, Dr Phill.
Please remember that the Baclofen 4 alcoholism web site is totally for and about you.
However, I thought that you might find it valuable to know a little about me, and how and why I have got to this stage of my life and deciding to set up the Baclofen 4 alcoholism site.
I am in my late forties, and have lead a very varied but highly interesting and exciting professional life. Much has been highly successful. Some most definitely hasn't.
Very briefly, I am one of the very few people who hold full qualifications both in Medicine and in Law. I am also a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. Since the mid-eighties, I have practiced both surgery and medical negligence law. During this period I have picked up several awards and distinctions, including
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Bradley Memorial Surgical Scholarship, Manchester Royal Infirmary, UK
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Inaugural Tutor in Surgical Gastroenterology, University of Manchester, UK
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British Digestive Foundation Research Fellow
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Association of Surgeons of GB&I Award for my contribution to surgical education
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Visiting Professor of Surgery, University of Bologna, Italy
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Advisor on medical negligence litigation for the Inns of Courts, Pupil's Training Programme
I have also written a major surgical textbok (Pelvic Pouch Procedures, Butterworth-Heinemann, 1991), and published more than 50 academic medical and legal papers, poster and oral presentations.
Throughout the last fifteen years, I have also set up and run several private medical businesses; mostly in the fields of cosmetic surgery and obesity management / surgery.
I have appeared on numerous television and radio programmes and been in many newspaper and magazine articles.
Following several failed corneal transplants, I have hung up my surgeon's gloves and put away my lawyer's wig, and now work as a professional ghostwriter www.drphillipthomas.com
That all sounds pretty good, doesn't it? However, I am also an alcoholic. And through alcohol, I have managed to compromise, or lose, much of what I have achieved.
To put it simply, I have a trait where I suffer chronic anxiety, low confidence, low self-esteem, feelings of inadequcy etc. Stress is something with which I find it hard to cope. Maybe surgery and law weren't the best career choices!!
Not even my closest family really knew what I was going through.
During this period of fantastic highs and unbelievable lows, I have managed to find three really beautiful, lovely and supportive women. And managed to lose them.
I have managed to build highly successful careers in two of the most competitive and academically challenging professions. And managed to lose them.
I have managed to make two fortunes. And managed to lose them.
I have managed to build amazing periods of comfort and security and happiness. And managed to lose them.
They are all discussed in great, and honest, detail in The Uninvited Guest.
So, why did I set up the Baclofen 4 Alcoholism web site. Pure and simple, I needed this information myself. And most of it was not all that easy to find. And it most certainly was not collated into a 'user-friendly' form. I decided that, if I was doing it for myself, I might as well make it available to others.
Why would I be arrogant enough to think I could do this? Well, if I'm honest, it is not arrogance. I come from a background of very high-powered academic surgery. I have a proven track record in medical writing. I have often been lauded, and even awarded, for my ability to take vast amounts of often highly complicated and technical material, and collate, organise and explain it to audiences of all levels of expertise.
It is this experience that I feel I can bring to Baclofen and our Alcoholism.
But it is a very big job, and I will need your help and assistance.
So, please help me.
Thanks.
Dr Phill
