Expert: MARK A. HOWELL - 3/1/2009

Question
About a year ago I had to go to the emergency room for a wrist injury and I was currently on pain medication for another injury.  I had just stopped taking my medication and the doctor in the emergency room said that I had symptoms from withdrawal.  My girlfriend was there and she was mad at me for something, but she told the doctor, without my knowledge, that I was abusing my medication and that was why my withdrawal symptoms were so severe.  The doctor said, that by law he was forced to hold me in the hospital until I was accepted into a detox center.  I was not allowed to dispute any of this, nor were my parents.  I went from the ER to the detox center and was there for three days.  I don't have any record, before or after this incident, of any type of drug abuse.  I am very worried that this will disqualify me from enlistment into the Coast Guard.  Can you please help me?

Answer
Grant,
It depends upon how you approach the problem.  When you talk to your CG recruiter he will ask you about your medical history and if you have had any drug-related problems.  If you say no, that's the end of it.  Nobody will ever see your civilian medical records.  If you say yes, then you'll have to try and convince him, and more importantly, the Surgeon General that you're OK now and you'd like to have a waiver (which is hard to get).  Then you'll have to produce your medical records, get letters from doctors, statement from witnesses, etc.