Disease and Accountability: A Pharmacist's StoryDisease and Accountability: A Pharmacist's Story
Drug Diversion Insights with Terri Vidals
Pharmacist Brad Schwartz shares how stress, opioids and diversion took over his life, leading to investigation, suspension and a long path back through recovery support. The conversation also questions how healthcare employers can balance consequences with genuine help when staff are in active addiction.
1:00:25•30 Sept 2026
Disease, Consequences and Second Chances: A Pharmacist’s Addiction Story
Episode Overview
- High achievement and poor stress coping can quietly fuel dependence long before addiction is obvious to others.
- Using substances to cope with stress marks a critical shift from social use to a dangerous pattern that can escalate quickly.
- Addiction can feel like a hijacked brain where chemicals drive behaviour, even when the person understands the risks and wants to stop.
- Consequences for diversion and unsafe behaviour are necessary, but should be paired with clear routes to treatment and structured support.
- Programmes like PRO and supportive regulatory oversight can help licensed professionals rebuild trust, health and eventually their careers.
““There needs to be consequences for actions and there needs to be help to get things back on the right track.””
What drives someone to seek a life without substances when their entire career is built around them? This conversation with pharmacist Brad Schwartz pulls back the curtain on what addiction can look like from the inside of healthcare. Brad, in recovery for over 20 years, traces his story from a privileged, seemingly "normal" childhood to high-achieving pharmacy student, juggling three part-time jobs, another degree, and mounting stress with almost no coping skills.
He explains the exact moment his relationship with substances shifted – when a Percocet stopped being a social drug and became his first way to cope with overwhelming stress and emotional pain. As he moves into hospital work, Brad describes how “one turned to two, two turned to three” as he began diverting opioids, all while keeping up the appearance of the golden, ambitious intern.
He talks about the eerie split between what he was doing and who he felt he really was, saying his brain was “hijacked” by addiction and that the chemicals were “driving the bus”. The episode doesn’t shy away from consequences: surveillance at work, questioning in HR, a drug screen, law enforcement involvement, and a suspended licence.
Brad shares the surreal moment of relief and devastation when he finally admitted the truth, and the unexpected loyalty of his fiancée who chose to stay. From there, the focus shifts to recovery and accountability.
Brad explains how Ohio’s Pharmacists Rehabilitation Organization (PRO) and The Ohio Board of Pharmacy supported his return to health, why he believes “there needs to be consequences for actions and there needs to be help to get things back on the right track,” and how years out of pharmacy gave him space to rebuild his life, identity, and coping skills.
If you work in healthcare or love someone who does, this story might prompt you to ask: how are stress, perfectionism, and silence shaping the risks around you?
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