Author — Family & Addiction Medicine — Recovery Advocate
Medical Director Emeritus OMA PHP — Guitar and Music Enthusiast
Author — Family & Addiction Medicine — Recovery Advocate
Medical Director Emeritus OMA PHP — Guitar and Music Enthusiast
Dr. I. Michael Kaufmann knows that stigma and shame kill as surely as a lethal overdose. He also knows firsthand that sharing honest stories about addiction and recovery is the most powerful way to reach anyone struggling with such issues break through to long-term wellness.
In Drugs, Lies & Docs, Dr. Kaufmann takes an empathetic look at addiction and recovery both inside and outside the medical profession. Drawing from his distinguished career, he explores addiction and recovery in the twenty-first century while, at the same time, his deeply personal narrative shines a spotlight on health professionals’ often hidden struggles.
Authentic, compassionate, raw, and real, Drugs, Lies & Docs addresses addiction with dignity. It offers hope. With a commitment to education and a heartfelt call to action, Dr. Kaufmann’s memoir champions recovery and the enduring humanity required to sustain it in the high-stakes world of medical practice.
For over 45 years, Dr. Kaufmann has practiced family and addiction medicine. He is founding director of the Physician Health Program (PHP) of the Ontario Medical Association and a Fellow of both the American and International Societies of Addiction Medicine. Among his many awards are the Courage to Come Back award from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, a Lifetime Achievement in Addiction Medicine Award from the Addiction Medicine Section of the Ontario Medical Association, and Lifetime Membership Awards from both the Ontario and Canadian Medical Associations. The College of Family Physicians honoured him in 1991 with a Fellowship award and with lifetime membership in 2023.
He is currently PHP Emeritus Medical Director and a physician health consultant, speaker, author, musician, and mentor. He and his wife, Judy, live in rural Ontario where they enjoy community volunteering and bringing people together for music and discussion in the barn that once housed chickens and sheep.
Drugs, Lies & Docs: A Doctor's Memoir of Addiction, Recovery and More is an empathetic look at addiction and recovery within the medical profession and beyond.