Nurses Who Are Drug Addicts

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I work with a nurse who I suspect is using drugs, and I think she is stealing them from the facility. Of those of you that have encountered this problem, what were the signs and symptoms? Thanks.

Specializes in Lie detection.
It cannot happen to you if you do not take drugs for recreation. This is a choice. This is NOT a rampant problem in our profession.

Because of a drug addicted dr., I saw a peds pt end up in a veg state. Myself and 3 other nurses ended up in court. I have no use for impaired colleagues.

Who says every addict took drugs for recreation? Many addicted nurses started out taking meds for pain issues. Was THAT a choice?

Did you even read this whole thread? The part where I stated about being an addict BEFORE picking up the drug. Can you understand that concept? I was an addict way before using. In recovery, I am learning to change a lot of those behaviors.

Oh and by the way, it is a bigger problem than you think, don't fool yourself. Not only nurses but Dr's, pharmacists, etc...

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Specializes in critical care, management, med surg, edu.
At peer we tell our nurses to watch out for folks with your mind set. I have seen nurses like that They will do anything to get rid of a recovering nurse that includes setting them up.

Recovered nurses have nothing to fear from me. I respect anyone who deals with their problems. An impaired collegue cost me 3 years of my life in a nightmare lawsuit and I was not at all liable. Not to mention a 12 year old left in a veg state. If I suspect anyone of using, I will be the first to turn them in ... recovered or not. Pts come first, me second, ..... addicts last. Maybe there are a lot of recovered nurses around and I don't realize it. That is a good thing that the rehab worked. Happy for you. But if I know a recovered nurse and suspect s/he is using, I will not feel sorry for the person and avoid reporting. I don't want that blood on my hands. :nono:

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Specializes in critical care, management, med surg, edu.
Who says every addict took drugs for recreation? Many addicted nurses started out taking meds for pain issues. Was THAT a choice?

Did you even read this whole thread? The part where I stated about being an addict BEFORE picking up the drug. Can you understand that concept? I was an addict way before using. In recovery, I am learning to change a lot of those behaviors.

Oh and by the way, it is a bigger problem than you think, don't fool yourself. Not only nurses but Dr's, pharmacists, etc...

What do we teach pts? Have pain --> take a drug. No, we also are supposed to teach and utilize non-pharm methods of pain relief. So why don't we practice what we preach? I had a major pain issue for 3 years and didn't get hooked because of non-pharm methods. The pain never left for 3 long years, but it was tolerable because of my determination to avoid narcs. We all have a choice weather to refill that pain prescription.

Yes, I understand the theory of addictive personality. but as you indicate, the answer is therapy, not drugs.

Yes, I know it is a big problem. The stats are easy to find. A physician user drug my good name through the dirt and nearly destroyed my career. That is why I will not tolerate drug use among any of my colleagues. It is not ok

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Specializes in Lie detection.
What do we teach pts? Have pain --> take a drug. No, we also are supposed to teach and utilize non-pharm methods of pain relief. So why don't we practice what we preach? I had a major pain issue for 3 years and didn't get hooked because of non-pharm methods. The pain never left for 3 long years, but it was tolerable because of my determination to avoid narcs. We all have a choice weather to refill that pain prescription.

Yes, I understand the theory of addictive personality. but as you indicate, the answer is therapy, not drugs.

Yes, I know it is a big problem. The stats are easy to find. A physician user drug my good name through the dirt and nearly destroyed my career. That is why I will not tolerate drug use among any of my colleagues. It is not ok

Because YOU did not become an addict is great. But that's not true for everybody and the bottom line is, there are sisters and brothers in nursing that need our help. Yes, our compassion and not disdain.

I'm not asking you to tolerate drug use at all. Whatever gave you that idea? What I am asking is that you maybe find it in your heart to believe that a recovering nurse CAN be a safe and healthy nurse. That if a nurse walks on to your unit and you find out she/he has 2 years clean, you won't treat them like garbage. Just give them a chance.

As you can see by this thread, some have been hurt by addicted nurses. But there are also many of us that ARE clean and in recovery, working among the rest of YOU and doing great!

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Specializes in critical care, management, med surg, edu.

What I am asking is that you maybe find it in your heart to believe that a recovering nurse CAN be a safe and healthy nurse. That if a nurse walks on to your unit and you find out she/he has 2 years clean, you won't treat them like garbage. Just give them a chance.

As you can see by this thread, some have been hurt by addicted nurses. But there are also many of us that ARE clean and in recovery, working among the rest of YOU and doing great!

Yes, a recovering nurse can be safe and healthy. I'm happy to give everyone a chance. I'm very happy to work with anyone who has passed a drug screen -- recovering or otherwise. IMHO if we know anyone in health care who is using, they should be reported to the appropriate authority. This personal policy protects pts, myself, and my co-workers. Again IMHO, I think we should be mandatory reporters of drug use, just like child abuse.

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Specializes in ER, TRAUMA, MED-SURG.

Vickynurse - I sense the disgust that is apparent is your postings in this topic, and as some of us addicts asked Tom, what is it in your life that makes you despise us as a whole? ACOA maybe?

Anyway, that leads me to a whole other question. Not every patient who comes through our door is the "model" patient, just as not every staff member who comes to work at your facility fits the mold of the "perfect" nurse. (And I'm not talking about 5 foot 7, 125 lbs, blond hair, blue eyes, ect.) Do you look at each of your patients who does not fit into the same mold with the same disgust that you show here? Do you treat the patient that cheated on his wife, or the patient that robbed a bank 5 years ago and paid his debt to society and is trying to become a productive member of society with a lower standard of care than the person that would fit into your vision as being the perfect patient?

If so, then you are really no better than "us."

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Specializes in CRNA, Finally retired.
What do we teach pts? Have pain --> take a drug. No, we also are supposed to teach and utilize non-pharm methods of pain relief. So why don't we practice what we preach? I had a major pain issue for 3 years and didn't get hooked because of non-pharm methods. The pain never left for 3 long years, but it was tolerable because of my determination to avoid narcs. We all have a choice weather to refill that pain prescription.

Yes, I understand the theory of addictive personality. but as you indicate, the answer is therapy, not drugs.

Yes, I know it is a big problem. The stats are easy to find. A physician user drug my good name through the dirt and nearly destroyed my career. That is why I will not tolerate drug use among any of my colleagues. It is not ok[/quote

Vickinurse: Please get some therapy to deal with this horrible situation you were in. Getting sued is emotionally traumatic and you are carrying around a lot of residual anger that is interfering with your rationality. Get educated about drug addiction. Its not a disease of the forebrain - its a disease of the midbrain putting it out of the realm of choice. PET scans document differences between the brain genetically wired for addition and the differences in brain plasticity after the insult of addiction. If we accept an addiciton rate of 10% in the general public, then we can infer a 10% rate among nurses, pharmacists, social workers and doctors. Being pissed off and punitive isn't going to make them go away, nor does it help in any shape or form to identify them early, get them help and get them away from the patients. But please, for you own sake, get some help. No one asked you to tolerate drug use among your colleagues. The anger is dripping through your posts. Don't waste your time with this self-destructive behavior.

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Specializes in critical care, management, med surg, edu.

[Vickinurse: Please get some therapy to deal with this horrible situation you were in. Getting sued is emotionally traumatic and you are carrying around a lot of residual anger that is interfering with your rationality. ........... Don't waste your time with this self-destructive behavior.

Suebee: I think the person doing the drugs is the irrational and self destructive person. What I think I'm hearing from you is that I'm supposed to say, 'this poor nurse has a midbrain problem, and is putting pts at risk, but I should feel sorry for him/her.' Then what? Do I wait for them to admit the problem and remove themselves from pts, or do I act to protect the pt by reporting the nurse?

Don't know about you, but I don't want an addict caring for someone I love. Sober and recovering is fine... active user has no business working in nursing. THAT is what the BON says. THAT is what the public expects. If we cannot police our own the trial lawyers will.

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Specializes in critical care, management, med surg, edu.

I can never forgive these events. I cannot forgive the nurse in question, and I cannot forgive my management for not dealing with it more effectively.

Knowing that these impaired and addicted nurses are in their own struggle does nothing to lessen the upset that happened in my own workplace when patients were in jeopardy, and staff were unfairly placed in a position of protecting our own and someone else's patients from harm.

Pebbles is right on!

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[Don't know about you, but I don't want an addict caring for someone I love. Sober and recovering is fine... active user has no business working in nursing. THAT is what the BON says. THAT is what the public expects. If we cannot police our own the trial lawyers will.

The sober and recovering person is still an addict. That condition doesn't go away. But some are courageous enough and honest enough to do battle with it and win.

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Specializes in ER, TRAUMA, MED-SURG.

Vickynurse - you can see the ignorance in one sentence in your posting when you said you would never let an addict take care of one of your loved one. Do some research, because an addict, the difference is whether or not they're in RECOVERY!!! And you're right about one point, in saying that when the addict is actively using, they should not be practicing nursing. Your postings make it clear that you need the beneift of research into this matter. And this is not the ONLY indicator of a good or bad nurse. I feel sorry for your family members if this is the only criteria by which you gauge whether or not a nurse should be allowed to take care of your family member. There are sites online (including this one) where you can do some research and maybe learn something.

Anne, RNC

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Specializes in critical care, management, med surg, edu.
The sober and recovering person is still an addict. That condition doesn't go away. But some are courageous enough and honest enough to do battle with it and win.

Agree with you totally. Still feel that those who are in denial about their addiction, need intervention. To look the other way and allow users to practice is unethical.

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