Addiction Help/Support for Nurses

Hello!

I am an RN from Minnesota and I want to share my story and offer other nurses help and support because it seems that it's hard to find and I don't think it should be.

I was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis when I was 20. I became addicted to prescription pain medications when I was in my late 20's, after I had been prescribed Oxycodone and Dilaudid for about a year. I started taking more and more just to stay out of withdrawal and when my doctor suddenly left his practice, I was left on my own to find help for a huge addiction that I was very ashamed of. I was working in the ER and when my patient was ordered a dose of Dilaudid, I would over-ride the system and take out large doses, give them what was ordered and take the rest. I had decided to end my life and use the Dilaudid to overdose.

That was over 4 years ago and I am obviously here typing, so I survived both my addiction and my overdose, but I have had to deal with the consequences of my choices and it is my hope that I can help others in similar situations before they derail their careers, hurt a patient or hurt themselves.

I was fired once my employer found out that I had taken the medications and the board ended up suspending my license for diversion. My license was eventually reinstated, but it has been a very long road back. I have over 4 years clean and I want people to know that it's possible to get better and it's ok to ask for help.

If you are struggling, please know that there is help out there and you are not alone. You can contact me if you don't know where to start or just need some support or you can contact your monitoring service in your state (HPSP in MN), but please reach out and ask for help.

My email is [email protected] if anyone wants to contact me.