BirdieMay04

All these responses make me so sad. I WILL go to rehab and NOT proclaim my profession. It’s worth the risk to me at this point. But all of this red tape and stigma is such crap. We worked SO hard for our licenses and have helped and saved countless lives. I am a good nurse..smart and capable and I ❤️ It! I can’t imagine doing anything else. I guess I’ll just hope for the best and see what life brings. Thank you guys for all of your responses, I feel comforted knowing that I’m not alone in this struggle. Prayers for all of us!

That’s ridiculous and so unfair

Thank you for your response. I am so glad you were able to get better even though it sounds like you’ve been to hell and back! It is hard, like you said because you want to get clean and honesty is a huge part of that. But I am not going to disclose anything..it’s not fair. And I guess I’ll see what happens! Hope you have a blessed New Year!!

Get ready...this may be a long post. I need and want help for alcohol addiction. I had bariatric surgery 5 years ago and have basically traded in one addiction for another. Things have progressively gotten worse over the past year. I am a school nurse and we were home for several months due to Covid and in the meantime, I lost my father with whom I was very close. I've been a nurse for 14 years and a school nurse for 2. I do not think I can stop drinking on my own. At the very least, I need medical detox...I experience withdrawal all day during my work hours. So much so, that I start my morning (before work) with a drink to hold off the shakes. SO the big question is...if I want to go to rehab, do I have to disclose it?? I could totally do it over Summer break, in another city. I've read horror stories about TPAPN and I don't want to lose my job. This is my dream job. I have 3 children and keeping their schedule is so amazing, as well as a decent salary with a great pension. I've never been arrested or accused of anything and as far as I know, nobody knows that I have this problem. I am fully capable of doing my job and I think it's such BS that one cannot seek out help voluntarily without being completely chastised by the board. Is voluntary rehab doable without disclosure or am I kidding myself?