Wednesday, July 19, 2006

The Sole of Wit

Hail,
Yesterday was at DAC, either the Driver Assessment Clinic or the Desperate Alcoholics Clinic, depending on who you ask. It's the part of my job where I sit in judgement of people who've had their licences revoked for drink driving. Currently one day a week, and much hated.

By the way - in the ED, if someone comes in after a fall or having being in a fire, or after a fight, there is a greater than normal chance that alcohol is involved. But apparently - and I find this surprising - if they come in after a motor vehicle accident, there is actually a LESS than normal chance that alcohol has been involved, or so recent study suggests. There are a number of things that could explain this, from alcohol-dependent people not driving because we've takne their licences (or because they buy alcohol instead of petrol) to people who are drunk and involved in car crashes choosing not to come to the ED to avoid scrutiny - but it surprised me.

Anyway. Apparently we've got a nuisance caller in DAC at the moment, someone who rings up multiple times a day and makes threats against staff, etc. This is a common thing at DAC - in fact, I thought about doing it myself once, ringing in anonymously and threatening to "blow that Bronze bastard's head off" in the hope that I would be removed from duties at DAC for my own protection, but I haven't done it yet.

But this guy is serious. After being found driving his car while intoxicated he was assessed at DAC by Dr Kahlua and Dr Khat, and found to be alcohol dependent, and his licence was not returned to him. Now he rings in ten or twenty times a day with abuse. He started out using his own name (!) but now uses a number of cunning aliases ("tell them it's John Smith") and harangues anyone who will listen - telling us his opinion about Indian doctors, Afghanistani doctors, young doctors, female doctors, government doctors and anyone else remotely associated with the drug and alcohol service.

And he - the complainer - is a prominent local doctor. Well, was until being struck off earlier this year.

The weird thing is, I have some degree of sympathy for him, because you can see this is a man with only one solution to a problem and that solution is not working.

Anyway, "brevity is the sole of wit" as a girl once wrote to me. I still imagine some kind of fishy comedian, a fantastically amusing herring or a kipper with a keen sense of the ridiculous. The bluebird of happiness, the salmon of doubt, the sole of wit.

Thanks for listening,
John

3 Comments:

Blogger Benedict 16th said...

BJ,
I think that the DAC is why I am not working at the Drinking and Salacious Singing Association anymore.
I think it defines the difference between healing as an art and enforcing the rule of law, and why I could
never be a judge or legal type person (sorry Foilest!).
Benedict

Word Verification: sxbexkiq
I'm sure that's illegal in Tasmania

10:31 PM  
Blogger Foilwoman said...

The lobster of love? The flounder of friendliness? The tuna of terror?

And Your Eminence: sxbexkiq may or may not be illegal in Tasmania but it's probably fun.

11:41 AM  
Blogger Foilwoman said...

Oh, and I need tickets to Oz to attend the next meeting of the Drinking and Salacious Singing Association. Please send funds now. And, Your Eminence, please. No apologies necessary. And I'm not a judge or legal type person either (any more). So there.

Word verification word: yfuvddcm. Somehow, that just seems wrong, and not fun, like Benny's word verification word. I shall now quote the erstwhile Foilkid: "C'est injuste! (It's not fair!)"

11:44 AM  

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