Confronting Jane- From the Perspective of an Impaired Nurse (Part One)

Brave, brave, brave nurse. I am absolutely looking forward to your next installment and would like to toss my hat in the ring of admiration and support, both for your continued sobriety and for your ability to rebuild your life. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. It may save a life.

I appreciate your comments and support. I hope this article reaches someone that may be at the same crossroad.

Thank-you for sharing your story! This is such a struggle for so many people and just consumes their lives. I am glad that you were able to break free and wish you well in this new chapter of your life. Looking forward to the next post. Godspeed!

I applaud your honesty and am looking forward to reading your next installment. I truly believe that alcohol is harder to give up than other addictions. Opiates do not call from the shelves of every store you walk into, silently screaming "buy me! You know you want me!". For those of us who do not understand the lure of alcohol...I hope you can teach us how it feels. Maybe it will help us to understand the power that alcohol holds. Thank you for this article.

Thanks so much for writing this. I have been in recovery for 15 years. Stone cold sober since 2004. I participated I an alternative to discipline program and came back from the depths of suicidal depression to regain a life I love. I admire your bravery. My life is pretty much an open book and I share my experience, strength and hope often. I like people to know that they can be in recovery and be practicing nurses once again. Keep on Stepping.

Hppy

I appreciate your feedback. Alcohol was a way for me to escape, a flawed coping mechanism, for underlying past trauma. A glass of wine at night made it easier to go to sleep and since alcoholism is progressive- it advanced from there. I hope the articles do help shed some light on addiction.

hppygr8ful- Congratulations on your 15 years! What a great testimony for those reading that may fee there is no hope. I remember being told early in my recovery that there are people/groups who believe nurses in recovery from substance abuse should never work in nursing again. This hit me like a ton of bricks- that is stigma of recovery. Fortunately, there is hope and the joy in life you have found.

The best revenge for all the skeptics, regarding recovering nurses coming back to work, is coming back in better form than when you left! The stigma is lessening - one generation at a time.

Loved your column. 'Tis progressive, alcohol was my drug of choice but I did not slowly progress. I jumped in the boozy waters with both feet such that it mystified me how I could progress.

I was a barely function waitress in 1989 when I got clean and sober, I am grateful in retrospection that it was so bad as it made denial difficult. I was so shaky when I 'came to' that I had to drink before work to carry a tray of cocktails. I'd either be still shaky or overshoot the mark and show up to work a tad tipsy. Given my co-worker (the bartender) was my drinking buddy we would drink vodka tonics throughout our shift and snort lines off the CD player in the storage area at end of the bar.

I still attend and love 12-step, I do not ever want to forget the gutter I crawled out of. I was quite fortunate in having a boss who demanded I get sober or get fired. I was also fortunate in avoiding arrest, not taking on any responsibilities such as college, marriage or parenthood until I had minimum couple of years sober.

You serve to remind me I am not the only sober RN :-)

Oh, thank your for sharing your story, and all the best with your recovery! Honored to have read it. And as someone who has had loved ones in the throes of addiction, it helps to understand that journey better then before.

I had to leave a man I loved very much because they never found that road to recovery..glad to see you were able to.

I am grateful for the road I am on, but also know how fragile it can be. Thank you for support.