LIMITLESS Leaders Toolkit: Life, Family & Fulfillment-Perspectives on Addiction - Health, Healing, and the Gift of Sobriety

Perspectives on Addiction - Health, Healing, and the Gift of Sobriety | LIMITLESS Leaders Edition: S1 Ep4

Video Transcription

Video Summary

This podcast episode of Allergan’s Limitless Women’s Leadership series features three female plastic surgeons from across the U.S. sharing candid stories about addiction, sobriety, and how alcohol use affects both physicians and families. Dr. Lisa Sauter describes a long history of heavy drinking that became a problem despite her highly functional career, leading to a turning point after a difficult personal moment and her first AA meeting. Dr. Sarah Troxell shares a more traumatic path: after her husband’s sudden death, she used alcohol to cope with grief and anxiety, which eventually led to a DUI, arrest, and treatment at Betty Ford. Dr. Anu Bajaj offers a family-centered perspective, describing her husband’s relapse, the need for an ultimatum, and their family’s ongoing experience with addiction in their children.<br /><br />The conversation emphasizes the stigma doctors face, the importance of seeking help, the role of AA and 12-step programs, and the need for honest communication with children and spouses. The speakers highlight that recovery is possible, support matters, and addiction can affect anyone.

Keywords

addiction

sobriety

plastic surgeons

physician wellness

alcohol use disorder

Alcoholics Anonymous

12-step recovery

family support

stigma in medicine

physician alcohol use

recovery

stigma

family communication

12-step programs

female plastic surgeons

Betty Ford

grief and alcohol

family addiction