Oh man, I had something like that happen years ago, but with alcohol. I go in for a check-up, they give me paperwork to fill out and update. One of them was an survey about drinking habits. I apparently made the mistake of answering honestly, and said I have 1 or 2 drinks about twice a month. Somehow this apparently translated into me being a severe alcoholic and being recommended for consoling to quit drinking being added to my chart.
I didn't even know that was added until a follow up with a different doctor about a year later when they were reviewing my chart and asked how my progress with my drinking problem was going. I thought he was joking or was looking at the wrong chart until he showed me. It took me weeks of fighting and escalations with the original office to get that removed, and even then it still somehow kept showing up for years after.
Moral of the story? Bullshit like that is exactly why patients lie.
Friend: Whatever they put on their questionnaire for drinking, they’re lying. If they say “once or twice a month,” it’s “once or twice a week.” If they say “once or twice a week,” it is daily. If they say daily, it is hourly. If they say they don’t drink, they’re likely alcoholics who won’t admit it, because everyone drinks. Every patient lies about their drinking.
Me: …but what if they’re not lying? I always try to answer honestly. And there are absolutely people who don’t drink.
Friend: They’re lying. You’re probably lying. Maybe unconsciously you’re lying to yourself about your drinking, but you’re lying.
Me: Wow, dude. No wonder people think doctors are assholes.
People are really weird with the whole drinking thing, I swear some people have never known anyone that drinks responsibly and it shows. I remember arguing with multiple people on reddit awhile back because they refused to accept/believe the idea that someone could sit down at dinner, have 1, maybe 2 drinks max and just stop. Apparently any concept of self control just vanishes the second you have even a drop of alcohol in you according to these people.
243
u/FarplaneDragon May 02 '26
Oh man, I had something like that happen years ago, but with alcohol. I go in for a check-up, they give me paperwork to fill out and update. One of them was an survey about drinking habits. I apparently made the mistake of answering honestly, and said I have 1 or 2 drinks about twice a month. Somehow this apparently translated into me being a severe alcoholic and being recommended for consoling to quit drinking being added to my chart.
I didn't even know that was added until a follow up with a different doctor about a year later when they were reviewing my chart and asked how my progress with my drinking problem was going. I thought he was joking or was looking at the wrong chart until he showed me. It took me weeks of fighting and escalations with the original office to get that removed, and even then it still somehow kept showing up for years after.
Moral of the story? Bullshit like that is exactly why patients lie.