Nursing Student with a Drug Addiction

[VanessaLee13]

Hi guys:

I have already asked this question on the Friends/Family of Addicts forum I belong to, so I thought I would get your opinion as well.

My husband is a 3 1/2 years clean, recovering addict. His good friend (I'll call him J), who he met in AA, recently got accepted into nursing school for this coming fall 2011. J was clean for 3 years when he relapsed this past fall 2010 (heroin, pills, alcohol). J continues to use, is refusing to go into rehab, and as far as I know plans to start nursing school in the fall, clean/sober or not. I have three main concerns: 1. the waiting list is very long and he will be taking a spot from someone who would better take advantage of the program, 2. J will be impaired and having patient contact, and I worry about the patients he may be responsible for, 3. At some point he will have access to narcotics that he will be able to steal.

Now, the F/F of Addicts people mostly just said to let the situation be, and that J would fail out on his own anyways. But I feel as if I should contact the nursing school to let them know (I went to the same nursing school). Because who knows how long it will take him to fail on his own, and how many patients/narcotics he will have contact with, besides the fact that someone else will have to wait another semester to get into the program if he takes the spot.

So what do you all think? Should I contact the school?

(Feel free to move this to another forum topic; I didn't think it fit great in the Nurses in Recovery forum since he is not yet a nurse, or in recovery).

Thanks everyone!

Vanessa

[lilbeans]

I personally knew somebody that was abusing alcohol when I went to school. I believe this person drank a lot. She didn't show up for most class days. Only ones that were required. She still did well on tests and was pretty good at clinicals. She had confided in me that she wanted treatment, but she was scared it might affect her career. I do not believe she was using other drugs, but our school did not do any drug testing, even for clinicals. I even asked for advice on what she should do on these forums. I always advised her to get treatment. As far as I am aware she never did. She also finished school (with honors!) and received her license. I never informed any instructor or any higher up official. I have never been drug tested for school or any nursing job I have had. So this person that OP is referring to may never be stopped by drug tests and they may finish school. That being said, this person personally told me that she had this problem. As far as I was aware she was never under the influence at school or clinicals. If she had been or if I knew she was abusing illegal drugs, I would have reported her. If I was OP, I would not report this person.