nursing alcoholism & codependency

marmsgirl · Apr 16, 2009

I remember being told that something like 85% of healthcare professionals come from dysfunctional families ~ i remember cause one of my friends wondered why i was a nurse (i am one of 15% from nondysfunction family);

CrunchRN, ADN, RN · Apr 16, 2009

I guess I am lucky then. No genetic factors, no drugs where I work, and my MD doesn't ever offer any even if I need them! However, I can see how it could easily become a problem for some. Are most able to return to nursing once they are no longer using and complete treatment?

unbecominganurse · Apr 16, 2009

I know the statistic for nurses coming from "dysfunctional families" is high and recall studies reflecting over 50% coming from such a background.

As to crunchRN's query, many, many nurses do return to nursing after receiving treatment for chemical dependency. Although some do relapse, the important thing to realize is that nurses who continue to be vigilant and continue the practices that got them clean and sober in the first place do extremely well. Unlike diabetes and other diseases, the disease of chemical dependency is 100% exposure based. In other words, once a nurse is in a stable recovery without cravings and has become acculturated into the recovering community, IF they keep up the practices that produced recovery in the first place, gain increased coping skills, minimize risk factors and focus on maintaining their recovery, they can and do avoid ingestion, inhalation or personal contact with addictive substances.

Unfortunately, many individuals have highlighted and focused on addiction as a relapsing condition, which tends to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Each time one relapses, it tends to teach and reinforce the habit of how to relapse.

I know of no other medical situation where we bombard patients in their earliest, most fragile state of treatment for anything from cancer to strokes or heart disease, with a prominent notion that they will relapse or that we expect relapse to occur. Patients, whether adult or child, have the very best treatment outcomes for any condition when they are provided optimal treatment and HOPE.

Certainly all should be educated that relapse can be minimized by certain behaviors and conditions, but by and large no other disease is so widely heralded as a relapsing condition as addiction. What needs to be most prominently publicized is that recovery is a living reality for hundreds of thousands of individuals world-wide; relapse IS NOT, never was and never will be a requirement for sustained recovery; there are people that have never relapsed after treatment; and the condition absolutely mandates life-long disease management strategies.

CrunchRN, ADN, RN · Apr 16, 2009

I agree. I think a much healthier attitude would be a relapse is never going to happen. If it is a strong affirmation seems like it would help it became a reality.