DogenRN

I feel very fortunate tonight as I arrive home from my Nurses in Recovery meeting. We are very lucky to have a dedicated group that is all about helping one another through this struggle and a facility that encourages such a meeting. There is nothing like talking to another nurse in recovery who is going through the same frightening and frustrating issues related to this disease and the complications that come with it in our profession. I've been clean for nearly 6 years now and involved with this group for 2 years. If you can locate a group in your area or start one I highly recommend it. 12 step programs are essential for most people in recovery but it's not quite the same as being able to share this journey with other Nurses. My hope is to see new groups like this form as they are desperately needed. Also, today is the last day that my license is on probation. No more calling every day to see if I have to test and all the troubles that can come with that. No more constant vigilance about filling out the required forms and making sure that they are sent to the BON every quarter. To those that are new and/or still struggling, hang in there, it can get better one day at a time even when it doesn't feel like it.

While we do not have an ISNAP in my state yet, I was able to reduce my probationary period from 5 to 3 years by writing a request to the BON. I just figured it was worth a shot. The first year that I wrote to them they turned my request down but the second year they appoved it. I just wrote a very matter-of-fact letter outlining the positive aspects of my recovery. It took over 6 months from the time that I sent the letter to the time that I received the response but obviously it was worth it. You never know unless you ask. Good luck to you.

wow, thank you for posting these links jack! :yeah: i took advantage of all of them and have them bookmarked to share with others. watching the presentation by dr. mccauley was especially educational. his rational delineation of will power vs. disease is exactly what needs to be presented to the public on a mass scale. i'm going to consult with our state nurses peer assistance committee to see if we can obtain this video for presentations. what i'm wondering is that with all of this information regarding the neurochemistry of addiction and knowing that stress is a primary trigger why more collaboration is not being done on self-regulation of the mid-brain drives through meditation. richard davidson at the university of wisconsin, madison has some very interesting research at the laboratory for affective neuroscience. http://bipolarblast.wordpress.com/2008/06/19/meditation-and-neuroplasticity/ http://psyphz.psych.wisc.edu/web/pubs/pubs_articles.html