Life after monitoring

Nurses Recovery

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Hi everybody:

I don't know about the rest of you but I'm having a hard time envisioning rebuilding my life after this monitoring program. It has set me back financially, educationally, emotionally and has damaged my career. I'm 55 so maybe part of this is a sense of fatalism that comes with age but this program has really damaged me. I'm withdrawn, paranoid and not optimistic about the future. I'm taking all the necessary steps to put my life in order. For example, I'm registered for my last semester of my CRNP studies after having to take a year off. What are your plans? Has this experience changed you? For the better or worse?

I wish you all a happy day!!!

Specializes in Emergency.
It has been 4 years since I had good access into current research but remember that 2 separate studies confirmed that 5 years out of initial tx. provedto be the most common time for relapse. Hence why some states requires 5 years participation in monitoring programs. So many participants were victims of sexyal abuse and these problems aren't resolved in a mere 2 years.

Please show me the actual "scientific" data from a study that is not created by the 12 step industrial complex! Please! Those numbers mean nothing...lets see what the JAMA and/or the Lancet shows

Wizard 1, where are you working now? I'm really worried I'll never be able to find gainful employment outside of nursing. I've reading in various nursing articles that once you surrender your nursing license you cannot obtain another professional state license and that the surrender comes up on background checks- so judgment continues in anything you try to do with your life. It's also really hard to get a call back from places I've applied outside of nursing, I don't know if it's cause I'm over qualified for jobs that are minimum wage (the thought of working these jobs really depresses me by the way). I think it might be because people know that no one walks away from a career like nursing, where you are paid great for one, because they want to- at least it's very rare. Jobs that are meaningful I think don't call me back because it's pretty easy to just look up a license and see what happened so, saying you want a career change doesn't work. That's been my experience, no call backs and hopelessness. I don't have money to start my own business. I still owe thousands in student loans that I can't pay back so, I can't just go back to school right now. It's really depressing that I can't seem to get work outside of nursing or in nursing at this point. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Specializes in OR.

I'd like to see these "studies" too. I'm not holding my breath because such a thing doesn't exist. 12 step has infected the rehab/recovery (and more specifically the peer assistance program) business, to the exclusion of nearly anything else. The whatever-anonymous organizations themselves, as they do not keep records cannot claim relapse rates or lack there of.

In regards to using these this very massaged and basically useless data to justify a certain length of contract is pure BS. I am pretty sure there is no connection whatsoever. These programs pretty much try to do whatever the heck they can get away with.

And while we are taking statistics, where did sexual abuse come into play in determining length of contract. That's like pouring gravy on a hot fudge sundae??????

I read two interesting studies lately. In the first study participants were told to take a daily placebo because daily administration of this pill was thought to lead to better health. In the second study menopausal women were told to take a daily dose of estrogen (later actually determined to be arguably bad for them) as this would lead to better health. In both studies the participants who took the pills daily were healthier than the non-complaint participants. Is this because of the wonder of the sugar pill or additional hormones that either did nothing at all or in fact caused actual harm? Of course not!!! It's because the type of person who is willing to take daily meds to help him / herself is more invested in being healthier and is willing to do what it takes to get results.

The few studies I've read on the effectiveness of rehab indicate that people who go to rehab, get counseling and attend meetings are somewhat more likely to maintain sobriety over the long haul (the number are still dismal). Is that because the rehab, counseling and 12 step meetings actually help or is it because the people who do all this are determined to stay sober. Is it the commitment of the people to change their lives or all this other "treatment"? I think the rehab industry, counselors and 12 step apostles are like the Rooster taking credit for the sun coming up in the morning. None of these have anything to do with my sobriety. I don't drink now because I choose not to in order to save my career PERIOD!!! Inpatient, Outpatient, Counseling, 12 step babbling has nothing to do with it and in fact I'm never closer to a drink then when I leave my weekly "support" group when I have to listen to rehab nonsense from a "professional" for 1 1/2 hours ever week

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Question .. what program are you talking about in these posts and why do you have to do them. Sorry new to this sight and looking for answers for wife rn related issues with license .

I read that no AA is just as effective as AA. In other words, it's ********. I personally think that the 100% abstinence kinda sets addicts up to fail. You relapse then hate yourself and that guilt and shame just sets you up to pick it up again and again. Maybe I'm wrong, I don't know. I just think there are much better roads to recovery outside of AA- have you tried SMART meetings? They aren't faith based, for atheist AA can be pretty difficult to stomach. If you have a drinking problem you should try Naltrexone, it really helps. There's this really good documentary about Naltrexone called "One Little Pill" it's really good; about the Sinclair Method. I understand the purpose of the monitoring program, but in the long run- after monitoring ends- what would keep someone from returning to their addiction if they had to spend years begrudgingly participating in treatment modalities that they do not believe in? That's why I go to SMART meetings and utilize Naltrexone, it works for me with or without BON monitoring.

I'll look that up in my area. Thank you!!!

Specializes in OR.

In my opinion it still circles back to the role of the programs being to monitor/ensure safe practice. Instead they now have all of these mandates that have zero to do with safe practice. Even if I actually had a substance problem (and not a diagnosis invented by some sleazy half orificed "approved evaluator" who thinks the whole "do no harm" thing is merely a suggestion) then how is attempting to control nearly every waking hour of my day by forcing me to go broke attending the rehab of their choice (even if it is totally ill suited to my needs and costs me an arm and a leg), sitting in constant meetings of an organization that itself states that it's requirement for membership is to want to be there and to force me to be obsessive over every drop of salad dressing, hair product or soap that is near me for the foreseeable several years going to accomplish that?. Oh and let's not forget embarrassing the beejeezus out myself just trying to nail down a job. None of that has a darn thing to do with making me a safer nurse. All of this does nothing for advocacy or support and simply punishes. Who elected this clown car to be judge jury and executioner? I'm not sure any of us did anything wrong that it is these people's place to "punish" us for especially under the guise of advocacy.

I might go so far to say that as the shennanagins of these programs thus far have forced me in to an area of nursing that I have zero experience and background in, it's conceivable that it has quite done the inverse of ensuring my safe practice.

Just read the post. Its seems some time has passed. How are you doing now? Did they respect the fact you self reported ? Good luck.

Hi there. I haven't heard anything from the BON since I self reported back in Feb 2016 and met with an investigator. It's very strange. For a few months I called the investigator at least monthly . I'm ready to get the monitoring program started even as sucky as it sounds.

I'm working as a dialysis nurse and really like it so hopefully I can keep it after I'm in monitoring. I know dialysis has nurses in recovery. This month on 11-28 is my 2 year sobriety mark . So all in all I'm doing well. Thanks for asking .

Good luck to you and God Bless

Good job on the 2 year mark. Good luck hope they work with you. What state are you in?

I'm in Mississippi. The thing I worry about is I didn't complete an inpatient rehab program- I was inpatient from the end of Nov 2105 til the end of Jan 2016, 60 days of a 90 day program , yes stupid I know. I felt I had to come back home since my husband and I were on bad terms and I felt bad for my children. My husband has a bad temper and it was worse at that point. Anyway that's a long story. Inpatient did get me sober and I'm thankful for that. When I came back home I self reported to the board then went to and completed an intensive outpatient program (10 weeks 3 nights a week) I'm really praying that will help.

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