RN4Laft4

First, ask you doctor if he/she WOULD report you IF you have a problem. A physiological addiction is not the same a substance misuse. You can get some medical help (like suboxone) to get you off the Vicoden. Don't tell anyone. The BON is not necessarily your friend. They are there to protect the public from impaired nurses. Think before you speak, and know that others who see these posts sometimes feel the need to report you. Just a warning from one who has been there.

A lot of it depends on how forthcoming you are about any prior history regarding substance misuse. A lot also depends on your BON. Boards are there to protect the public. If you are deemed a risk to the public or commit a crime that can be substantially related to your career as a nurse (and most boards consider a DUI to be substantially related), you may have to prove every minute of sobriety since the event. Advice from one who has witnessed this? Go to a lot of AA meetings (even if you don't need or like them) and have an attendance card signed by the secretaries. If you are REALLY serious about this, get an arrangement between you and your doctor for random drug screens. These can detect small amounts of a liver enzyme that elevates in presence of small amounts of alcohol...I mean, like vanilla extract in your cookies. Then, when it comes time to get your RN, you can prove that the DUI was a fluke. This advice is probably way beyond reasonable if you are not having drinking problems. However, it is not considered way beyond reasonable from the perspective of the BON. I have heard horror stories especially from YOUR state. Good luck to you.