I did a stupid, stupid thing...Need Advise!!

Nurses LPN/LVN

Published

After a year of hard work, I made it through LPN school and passed my boards in May. In June my world fell apart when my mother died and I lost a baby at 22 weeks. As you can imagine I was overwhelmed by grief. I had somewhat of a breakdown, and stupidly turned to smoking marijuana to ease my pain. (Please know I do not think using drugs is a good way to cope, it was a very poor decision.)

I finally came to my senses last week and stopped smoking. I am seeing a counselor and going to support group meetings. I have no intention of ever smoking again, I value my work as a Nurse and would never put patients at risk by using illegal drugs.

I do not currently have a job, but want more than anything to start working as an LPN so I can gain experience and have the confidence and skills needed to continue my education and get my RN.

Here's the problem: I know that the THC may stay in my body for up to 90 days and I do not want to jeopardize my future as a Nurse by having a positive drug test result. But I also don't want to wait for three months to start interviewing for jobs.

If I were to interview and be hired, do you think I could explain my situation and still be considered for the position? Or am I just out of luck until the drugs leave my system?

Any advise would be greatly appreciated, thank you for taking the time to read this!

Specializes in Peds, PICU, NICU, CICU, ICU, M/S, OHS....

Sorry you have had such a hard time lately...when it rains it pours, right?

You are not stupid, and what you did is not stupid. Stupid would be downing bottle after bottle of wine (beer, vodka, etc) and chasing that with a bunch of prescription drugs...or driving while intoxicated, or...I could go on and on. Smoking marijuana to ease your anxiety and pain after two very traumatic events does not a stupid person make.

To me, marijuana is a plant that has grown on the Earth for a very long time. Many intelligent and visionary people smoke it, have smoked it, and continue to smoke it. Just because the "government" has made it illegal, it doesn't make those who use it bad people. In fact, the ANA supports the use of medical marijuana.

It is great that you are getting help from a professional and going to support meetings. I think you should continue to heal yourself for a while before you go out to get a job. Nursing is so stressful and can be completely overwhelming at times. If money is an issue, maybe you can look for a job doing something else for a while. The holidays are coming up and many stores will be hiring. Yes, it is not going to be the same amount of money as you would make in nursing, but it will definitely be less stressful and traumatic for you right now.

I hope everything works out for you and you continue to make progress with your therapist and group. STOP feeling guilty and beating yourself up over it. Just let it go, there is no sense in worrying about it now anyway. What is done, is done. Learn from it and move on. Smoking marijuana doesn't make you a monster, a criminal, or anything of that sort! Your a good person that, in a time of extreme sadness and grief, used a plant to ease pain and suffering. Good luck to you and I hope things get better for you soon! :redpinkhe

I am so terribly sorry for your losses. Grief can take us to some pretty dark places, but you have found your way back. Please put all that darkness behind you if you can.

I don't see any reason to tell anyone about the marijuana, and I would also like to advise you not to tell anyone about what you have been through since graduating. That is something you would be better off holding to yourself until you are sure you can trust the people you work with.

You'd be amazed at how judgemental and nasty can be for the most bizarre and self-serving reasons.

I agree with others that it would be best for you to wait this out. First of all, because you need time for yourself to heal and figure out how you want to proceed and even what you want to do.

They always say that you should not make any major decisions in the first year after a loss and wow, I can tell you from personal experiences, that is absolutely true. That includes taking a job.

Also, it is going to take you awhile to find a job in the first place so hopefully you are in a position where you can take your time and not stress too much about taking whatever you can find.

I am sending you hugs and hope that you can please be good to yourself.

I am sorry for both of your losses, no doubt those TWO losses can put anyone over edge mentally and emotionally.

From what I have read, if you smoke MJ as a one time deal, not chronic use, it only takes 3-4 weeks for it to be removed from your body. I have never used it, thus I have no personal experience, but this is what I have read online. I did a quick google check and landed on a very scientific website regarding drug use and drug testing.

I am sorry you had to turn to MJ to deal with these issues, no doubt the need for a job is causing you a lot of stress on top of your embarrassment for using it.

Specializes in behavioral health.

I am so sorry for your loss.

If you feel that you are emotionally ready to work as a nurse, then take the following steps:

1. Purchase a drug test that you can do at home. I ordered from internet, as you can find them much cheaper. (I ordered in the past, as my daughter is an addict. However, I no longer do so, as I learned much through Al-Anon:)

2. Do not tell anyone regarding employment about your limited use of THC. They will not be forgiving at all.

And, if you were not a heavy user, it should only take about 2 weeks to get out of your system. It really depends on the frequency of use, and your metabolism. I would use two different brands of tests to be on the safe side.

Please be kind to yourself. You have gone through some great loss.

Congratulations on being a new grad.

First off I want to say i'm sorry for all you've been going through theses past few months. I know it's hard now, but it will get better if you let it.

Second, smoking pot is not he end of the world, been there done that and passed drug tests along the way. You can go to GNC and get a detox i'm not sure how much they are now but a few years ago it was $30+ drink it the day before your test and make sure you drink a lot and i do mean a lot of water and you will be fine.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Hi LPN

I am so sorry for your losses. It is understandable that you turned to drugs to ease your pain you were feeling. Please don't be too hard on yourself, you have recognized what you have done, taking responsibility and seeking help.

Continue with your counselling and support group. If you feel ready to seek employment, I say go for it. I don't know where routine drug screening in nursing is done- never heard of it in Canada.. I would not disclose up front about the exact details of your situation and drug use.. you may want to in the future, you may not want to

Explaining your time away from nursing- you could say-you had some personal issues in your life that you were dealing with (that's all that needs saying)

You will come through this and be stronger... I wish you all the best

Specializes in wound care.

lol NO dont say u smoke weed , wait 40 days work out drink lots of water and it will be out of your system , if you want take a cvs drug test tell u feel comfortable

please marijuana is not big deal!!!! as long as your not smoking it before or during work its fine... in my opinion at least.

i had a friend that smoked alot for years and he went and got tested after he stopped and it took about a month and a half to be clean

there for if you have only been smoking since july you should be fine in about 2 to 3 weeks ..... go pay 30 dollars at a lab or the home test if you trust it.

i did it and i was clean on the home test and came out clean on the job drug test, so i recommend them, but it only took me a week to be clean, cuase i occasionally smoke a lil pot very seldom.

unfortunately, your opinion is irrelevant in this situation. if the op tests positive for marijuana on a drug test, she will not get the job. if she tests positive for marijuana on a random drug test after employment, she will be fired.

op, i am so sorry for your troubles. i understand why you coped the way you did. we all have our vices. none of us can judge. unfortunately, this could hurt your chances for employment, so i would definitely make sure you will test clean before applying for any job. if you have to wait, so be it. in the long run, it will be better for you.

good luck. take care of yourself and please come back with an update.

...this is quite a dilemma. i'm going to need to find some kind of job, but not really sure how or what yet. -- pick up a fast food job or wait tables or do whatever pays your bills and doesn't require a drug test. never volunteer information about your personal life. you are not using drugs now, so do not volunteer that you did in the past. work that temp job, and wait out the time needed to get the mj out of your system.

do i tell potential employers i'm a nurse? -- no, not if you are not applying for a position as a nurse. "do not be over-qualified for the job, just tell' em what they need to know, and not more. do not overqualify yourself. if they want a truck driver, i give them trucking references and my cdl information only," says a degreed engineer friend of mine who worked as a truck driver while laid off from engineering. it was like an epiphany for me, because i always thought that you show an employer how much extra you have to offer. but in this economy, many smart ones advise just show them adequate and relevant qualifications, when you're applying for jobs beneath your maximum skill level.

how do i explain this? and when i do start interviewing for nursing jobs, how do i explain the long period of not having a nursing job?

explain it? well, you were reorganizing your life after your losses, you needed time to grieve, a flexible schedule with sufficient time off, and when you had worked through all of that, you felt you were ready to find a full-time job in your field. death of a parent or death of a child are recognized as significantly traumatic events, and you experienced both of those back-to-back. no further explanation necessary, and an employer should back off on the questions about employment gaps after that. for all they know, there might have been a lot of things you personally had to do to settle your mother's estate.

And, people need to remember the concept of privacy. Schools need to start teaching that idea, because it seems to be forgotten. Nobody is obligated or required to tell all of their personal business to Facebook, or the world. Young people, in particular, have become so skewed toward reporting everything to everyone. No, no! You personal life is your business, and if people pry, give some diplomatic answer and don't give them personal information that's none of their business.

Specializes in LTC, Palliative.

My understanding was that it stays in your system for 28 days. Where I'm from, your employer has to give you 28 days to do a drug test. Unless its in your contract that they do random testing (usually on oil rigs and stuff) I've never had to take a drug test for work

First, thank you for your kind words. Secondly, I do have a great deal of emotional support, but not financial. This is quite a dilemma. I'm going to need to find some kind of job, but not really sure how or what yet. Do I tell potential employers I'm a Nurse? How do I explain this? And when I do start interviewing for Nursing jobs, how do I explain the long period of not having a Nursing job?

"I had a couple of personal tragedies close together, and needed time to grieve and care for myself without the demands of a high stress job. I've had time to heal and am now ready to pursue a career as an LPN."

I agree with waiting : not only because of the drug test but to make sure you are OK.

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