[Nurse Ratched]

Originally Posted by krisssy

What makes me the saddest is when an addict is in recovery, and he or she decides she wants nothing to do with a suffering addict. Like maybe it will hurt her sobriety or something.

Each person has to decide for him or herself what they are able to manage and still maintain their sobriety, and may have good reasons why they are unable to help others yet. My understanding is that the first priority ALWAYS has to be your own sobriety. Once someone feels they are standing strongly enough on their own, maybe they can turn their attention to helping others. If you aren't a strong swimmer, and you try to rescue a drowning person, you may both go down...

[krisssy]

Originally Posted by Nurse Ratched

Each person has to decide for him or herself what they are able to manage and still maintain their sobriety, and may have good reasons why they are unable to help others yet. My understanding is that the first priority ALWAYS has to be your own sobriety. Once someone feels they are standing strongly enough on their own, maybe they can turn their attention to helping others. If you aren't a strong swimmer, and you try to rescue a drowning person, you may both go down...

I certainly agree with you, but I just meant a kind word wouldn't hurt anyone even if they were one day sober. I belong to Today'sgift@hazelden.info
This is extracted from the famous rehab in Center City, Minnesota. "If we could extract the I from our thoughts, some of us would lose our focus. We have a tendency to think only of our comfort, our convenience, our point of view, our feelings and our happiness.

What if we made a conscious effort everyday to put someone else first? What would it cost? The results may surprise us, because one of the spiritual paradoxes is that putting another first, makes us happy. It may be hard for the I in us to release its hold, but focusing on the needs of someone else can bring us a sense of deep personal satisfaction.

Today I will focus on the needs of those around me, before my own."

Look of course a newly sober person can't be a sponsor or a counselor at Hazelden or take care of a drunk person. BUT a kind "I wish you well" or "I was there and I recovered" wouldn't hurt anyone to say to an addict or alcoholic who is suffering and may help the newly sober person. The two men who started AA started by one man talking to another. There are degrees of help one is able to give. But a kind word would help both the recovering person and the still suffering. I have been at Hazelden, and I have seen it work many many times. Sometimes, it is just a hug or a smile or a hello, and the suffering feels some hope. Krisssy RN


"

[nursemichelle2]

This is my first post. I will tell you my story on my next.

[nursemichelle2]

Hello, I am a RN in California currently in the board's nursing diversion program as I am an alcoholic. I have 8 months sober and essentially turned myself in by going to the ED where I work for tx of DT's. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. I am free from alcohol. I started drinking after I kicked an addiction to rx drugs that were prescribed for a bad back after 16 years of nursing. I also diverted a few times from work when my pills ran out. I was full of shame and disgust and I started drinking to ease my emotional pain. It can happen to anyone. It happened to me. I never had a problem for 14 years of my career and then I herniated three discs at work and was given vicodin and that was it. I then spiralled down that long path to my bottom and kicked opiates and unfortunately switched to alcohol. Now I am free from it all and happy for the first time in a long time. I am grateful I was turned in...it is keeping me honest. I will get out of diversion with my liscense intact after at least three years of calling in everyday to drug and alcohol test and going to AA every day. I also completed an outpatient program and the diversion board monitors my every move, telling me when I can work, how much I can work and what days, shift and where I can work. I am just grateful to be able to finally start to look for a job after 8 months. It was the most humbling and humiliating thing that ever happened to me and I appreciate my chosen profession and life all the more for having to go through it. I will someday be the great nurse I was. Please don't take addiction lightly, If it can happen to me it can happen to anyone. I had a great life, no childhood misery, a happy marriage, great kids and yet it still happened to me.

[nurse_clown]

I'm an R.N. I don't steal narcotics but I've been injured a few times and my doc ordered Percocet for me. When I take the Percocet, I don't feel ANY pain. I also have so much energy. When I had my c-section, I took Percocet. I was able to clean my whole house. I have a very low pain tolerance. I can't take codeine because I can barely breathe on that.

I think, in my life I've gotten a script for Percocet about four times. Once on shift, I was injured and told to go to the ER. The doc gave me Percocet and said I was alright to return to my shift. I was sitting with the night supervisor when the Percocet effects started. It was a weird feeling but the pain stopped. I like it. I think I like Percocet a little too much.

Anyway, I'm sitting here at my computer. I was taking my bad dog outside and she lunged and now my back is killing me. I know I can just go to the Urgent Care clinic and the doc will give me another script. It hurts bad enough. I think I've had this before and the first time I hurt my back, I took the percocet for a day and went to physio for the exercises. Actually, I haven't taken anything for this aching back. It hurts to drive, sit, bend, stand.... and I have a shift tonight. I'm sure I'll pull through.

I don't want to be an addict. There's too much of that going on in my family. I always hesitate when I'm given Percocet. But.... I tried Tylenol and caffeine. I like caffeine a lot too. I can't even start my exercises because of the pain.

I think I'll see my doc tomorrow.

[Jack39]

Originally Posted by nursemichelle2

Hello, I am a RN in California currently in the board's nursing diversion program as I am an alcoholic. I have 8 months sober and essentially turned myself in by going to the ED where I work for tx of DT's. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. I am free from alcohol. I started drinking after I kicked an addiction to rx drugs that were prescribed for a bad back after 16 years of nursing. I also diverted a few times from work when my pills ran out. I was full of shame and disgust and I started drinking to ease my emotional pain. It can happen to anyone. It happened to me. I never had a problem for 14 years of my career and then I herniated three discs at work and was given vicodin and that was it. I then spiralled down that long path to my bottom and kicked opiates and unfortunately switched to alcohol. Now I am free from it all and happy for the first time in a long time. I am grateful I was turned in...it is keeping me honest. I will get out of diversion with my liscense intact after at least three years of calling in everyday to drug and alcohol test and going to AA every day. I also completed an outpatient program and the diversion board monitors my every move, telling me when I can work, how much I can work and what days, shift and where I can work. I am just grateful to be able to finally start to look for a job after 8 months. It was the most humbling and humiliating thing that ever happened to me and I appreciate my chosen profession and life all the more for having to go through it. I will someday be the great nurse I was. Please don't take addiction lightly, If it can happen to me it can happen to anyone. I had a great life, no childhood misery, a happy marriage, great kids and yet it still happened to me.

Good for you! Keep doing what you're doing. Something to think about for you. You were always an addict, you just switched yor drug of choice to alcohol. Your health problems had nothing to do with it. Just an observation from a friend.

[nursemichelle2]

What do you mean I was always an addict? Like, was I born that way. I knew I was an addict when I started abusing rx meds and I still was when I was abusing alcohol. I am confused.

[subee]

Originally Posted by gianna2111

I understand what you are saying and I agree it is a family issue, however to go after a nurse as so far as to cross reference a name which is what someone sent me a thread that they did just that. They cross referenced her name, then reported her to the board. I simply dont agree. I live this life myself and I am staying clean. She has to want to do this on her own. I think to report someone by tracking them down puts a downer on this board because you cant share freely. They say in NA and AA that what is said here stays here. I see your point if she has children but to go after her paycheck. That will do nothing but make her use even more. There are other means such as warning her first to get the help she needs or you will go to the board. To just up and go is viscious attack on her and her family due to lack of paycheck on top of everything else. She has to hit rock bottom on her own to finally want and get the help. Obviously if I see a nurse at work using I would report to the charge RN or Director but this board is confidential. It should stay here only. What can I say. Nurses eat there young. Its a fact. Whoever did report her must feel proud now.
I dont agree at all. There is interventions, tell her to check in to rehab etc before you go to board. This is why I dont share anything about myself on this board any further. It is taken and ran with. Sad.

If nursing refuses to police itself to protect the public , we have failed to exercise our professional responsibility. Of course that nurse should be reported. If the nurse is displaying behaviors that suggest addiction to others colleagues, then he or she is very far along in the disease and a danger to others as well as to themselves. As far as addiction being a disease - get educated BEFORE you opine(this remark is not for you, gianna). There is an excellent essay in the Feb. 2006 edition of the Harvard Mental Health Letter by Dr. Michael Miller. "The genetic influence on addiction results from variations that affect a protein whose production is goverened by the gene. For example, take the gene that governs the synthesis of the mu-opilkd receptor, a docking site for the neurotransmitterB-endorphin. This gene has a variant called A118G with three times the average affinity for B-endorphin. In people who carry the high-affinity variant, the pleasurable endorphin response to alcohol and heroin is much stronger than average, so they are much more susceptible to slcoholism and heroin addiction. Furtunately, for the same reason , they are more likely than other addicts to abstain from alcohol when they tale naltrexone, an anti-opoid prescribed to support sobriety." I'll take Dr. Miller's explanation over that of some kind of character defect as the cause of addiction. Georgia, where that nurse is supposedly working, has a very enlightened and long sustained peer assistance program. Nurses need not necessarily be addicted to be impaired - there's other physical and emotional reasons. But certainly, people who display behavior of impairment deserved to be worked-up and removed from practice if necessary.

[krisssy]

Originally Posted by nurse_clown

I'm an R.N. I don't steal narcotics but I've been injured a few times and my doc ordered Percocet for me. When I take the Percocet, I don't feel ANY pain. I also have so much energy. When I had my c-section, I took Percocet. I was able to clean my whole house. I have a very low pain tolerance. I can't take codeine because I can barely breathe on that.

I think, in my life I've gotten a script for Percocet about four times. Once on shift, I was injured and told to go to the ER. The doc gave me Percocet and said I was alright to return to my shift. I was sitting with the night supervisor when the Percocet effects started. It was a weird feeling but the pain stopped. I like it. I think I like Percocet a little too much.

Anyway, I'm sitting here at my computer. I was taking my bad dog outside and she lunged and now my back is killing me. I know I can just go to the Urgent Care clinic and the doc will give me another script. It hurts bad enough. I think I've had this before and the first time I hurt my back, I took the percocet for a day and went to physio for the exercises. Actually, I haven't taken anything for this aching back. It hurts to drive, sit, bend, stand.... and I have a shift tonight. I'm sure I'll pull through.

I don't want to be an addict. There's too much of that going on in my family. I always hesitate when I'm given Percocet. But.... I tried Tylenol and caffeine. I like caffeine a lot too. I can't even start my exercises because of the pain.

I think I'll see my doc tomorrow.

You and I sound exactly alike. Everything you feel and like, I do too. I had surgery twice last year for my abdomen. I got addicted to Percoset and then Oxycodone. I just paid $8000.00 at go to a detox for 4 days. Even with that, I came home VERY SICK. Don't ask for or take percoset or Oxycodone if it affects you that way. Getting off is pure hell and so is getting addicted. PM me anytime or ask me on here. I will be happt to share my story with anyone who needs to hear it.

A sober and happy nurse Krisssy

[schwalmys8862]

Hi. I am an RN and facing the NMP. I sign contracts and get my license back after only about 5 months of losing it. I will get it back feb 21st. I have never diverted though, not even an aspirin, but understand how easy it would be and how quickly the fear would fade after doing it once. Why? Because I am an addict and we understand each other when it comes to addiction. I just thank God I never let myself go to that temptation, but it was easy for me because I am not a pill person. I like them but its not my drug of choice. There was a period of time before I was a nurse that I had ten years clean and sober. I became a nurse during that period, then my son became addicted and i lost it. It took a couple dui"s and a possession of thc with the nursing board on my ass before I would get it. I am clean and sober today and am looking forward to going back to work after struggling hard financially. Sometimes that is what we need to GET IT! I can say I feel so good today. I still want to get high somedays but nothing in the world replaces the good feeling of being clean and sober and WANTING to be C&S. You fellow addicts know what I am talking about. This is a disease and dont let anyone tell you otherwise. Those who try to say you dont deserve your license back do not understand because they havent been in our shoes or dealt with addiction. If any of you would like to share your experience with the NMP I would love to hear it. Take care and do whatever it takes to stay C&S. Willing to share recovery ANYTIME! (privately)