Nurses and alcohol

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  1. This is a discussion on Nurses and alcohol in General Nursing Student, part of Nursing Student ... One thing I'm learning is that nurses can drink! They talk about drinking their entire shift, and...

    by Jul 1, '12
    One thing I'm learning is that nurses can drink! They talk about drinking their entire shift, and then go out for drinks after. But I can't blame them! Nursing is a very stressful job. I heard addiction is a problem with nurses. What's your take?
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    by kdbean530 Jul 1, '12 8:11 pm
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  3. 34 Comments so far...

  4. Jul 1, '12 by
    Some of my favorite party animals are nurses...work hard, play hard
    ginna121, Journee2, and kdbean530 like this.
  5. Jul 1, '12 by
    I think what people do on their own time is their business(unless it's illegal).
    Im sure the stress of nursing does have something to do with them becoming addicted though.
    I don't drink(well maybe 2x per year) and have no plans to increase that when I am working as a nurse(I already had one stressful career with child protection, and it didn't cause me to drink, so Im fairly certain nursing won't either).
    Journee2 and kdbean530 like this.
  6. Guide
    Jul 1, '12 by
    I'm a dual-diagnosis RN (alcoholic/bipolar) who got sober years before I became a nurse. While there certainly are times when I find myself craving ETOH because of work and personal stress, I've never given into it in 20 1/2 years. In fact, some of the stuff I've seen other alcoholics do in the throes of DTs makes me grateful that I never had to go through that.....it's not worth it!
    NoonieRN, ImKosher, LiLev, and 4 others like this.
  7. Jul 1, '12 by
    It's the same with teachers! My hubby is a teacher, and most of his buddies are drinkers.
    michelle126 likes this.
  8. Jul 1, '12 by
    The same can be said for those who work in social services, especially the D&A Treatment realm. I remember when I first came onboard my boss told me that she never drank a day in her life until she started working in social services and working with the D&A population so pretty much it was "if you don't drink now, you will before you hit 6 months here". My coworkers and I used to walk past each other in the halls and asks "Is it Happy Hour yet?!?"
    Crux1024, Puddin2day, and kdbean530 like this.
  9. Jul 1, '12 by
    Hahha that's funny.
  10. Jul 1, '12 by
    Quote from SunshineDaisy
    It's the same with teachers! My hubby is a teacher, and most of his buddies are drinkers.
    I think law enforcement personnel have the same issues. Many years ago, I did a paper for a class where I did a comparison of the 2 professions - nurses and police. VERY SIMILAR statistics, lifestyles and issues (good & bad).
    michelle126 and VivaLasViejas like this.
  11. Jul 1, '12 by
    It's all about how you handle the stress, I know people who go out after work and I know people who go to the gym....
    michelle126 and Journee2 like this.
  12. Jul 1, '12 by
    I don't see anything wrong with having a drink or two with friends or coworkers after work. I've never been a heavy drinker. I can buy a six pack and it'll last me a week or two. It's when you are binge drinking and/or have addiction issues that it can become a problem. After all a drink a day can be good for you
    Crux1024 likes this.