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Nurses Recovery

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Hi everyone! So excited to become a member of allnurses. I've been coming here and reading for several months now and can't express how much reading your posts has helped me in so many ways. First of all, it's helped me to feel like I'm still part of the nursing world even though I haven't practiced since 2012! I surrendered my liscense and eventually went to treatment.... I'm trying to make a long story short because it's late and I'm brain dead. Lol....but I'm in recovery and so thankful to be sober. Now after 4 years I'm almost there with getting my liscense back. Just waiting for my reinstatement application to be fully processed. I have so many mixed emotions..most of which are beyond positive but I also feel anxious and weary. Right now I'm wondering how you nurses in recovery feel about the regular pressures of nursing since you're back to nursing sober and in recovery. Do you feel stronger? Do you feel more competent? What are the ups and downs in the before and after of nursing in recovery? I always struggled with feeling incompetent. I assuming those feelings will be better now.

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Specializes in ER, ICU/CCU, Open Heart OR Recovery, Etc.

Good for you! I'm going to reapply for reinstatement very soon myself. I haven't worked in a bit either.

I have learned much about how things have changed, and not changed, with regards to nursing by being a regular visitor and participant on this forum. I must say that I didn't spell it out quite as eloquently as you have though.

Welcome back to both of us!

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Congratulations on your re-entry into the nursing world. As far as workplace pressure and my recovery..........I choose to work in low stress environment for this very reason. I know my limitations and I know that working in place like medsurg or ER could really affect me. Not saying I couldn't stay sober but recovery is more than staying sober. I tend to have high anxiety and am considered a "worrier" so adding to that through my profession would not be good. I work in a family practice center owned and operated by a nurse practitioner. It is a Christian based clinic and it's like my second family. I wish you all the best and good luck!!!!

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Specializes in pediatrics; PICU; NICU.
Congratulations on your re-entry into the nursing world. As far as workplace pressure and my recovery..........I choose to work in low stress environment for this very reason. I know my limitations and I know that working in place like medsurg or ER could really affect me. Not saying I couldn't stay sober but recovery is more than staying sober. I tend to have high anxiety and am considered a "worrier" so adding to that through my profession would not be good. I work in a family practice center owned and operated by a nurse practitioner. It is a Christian based clinic and it's like my second family. I wish you all the best and good luck!!!!

That's what I refer to as threatening my serenity, not my sobriety. As far as I'm concerned, my serenity is at least as important as my sobriety.

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Specializes in pediatrics; PICU; NICU.

Nurse8724, welcome! There are lots of members here in various stages of recovery & we help each other a lot.

When I first got sober, I was working in a general Peds unit, night shift. At first it was hard because my routine had to change a lot. Instead of going home from work in the morning & getting started on my drinking, I went home long enough to shower & get dressed and I headed to an AA meeting. I had done all of my drinking at home alone so for about 6 months I was afraid to be at home very much during my awake time. It was recommended I attend 90 meetings in 90 days but, in order to not be alone at home, I went to 3-4 meetings a day for 4 months. After that I cut down to 2 meetings a day for a while & eventually down to 1 a day.

What I didn't realize in those first months was that, by attending so many meetings right at the beginning, I was learning the tools I needed to be able to be at home without being afraid of drinking.

In the years since I first got sober, I've worked in a variety of settings, including NICU. I now do private duty Peds home care. What I found out about myself is that as long as my recovery is solid & my serenity is good, it doesn't matter where I work. If my serenity is shaky I don't feel confident about anything in my life, including work.

Keep coming here for support & good luck with your license.

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