dirtyhippiegirl BSN, RN

I didn't see anyone saying that they attend FB NA instead of real-life NA. I go to real life AA, am a member of that group's FB page, and read and post to a few sobriety subs on reddit. Although I have been a member of a closed forum for mental illne...

Is it very active?

While I agree with some of your points, this seems a bit hyperbolic.

Oh god. 5 or 6 days maybe? A little longer than getting the usual UA back.

Being up front is probably the best policy. Esp if you know that you will test positive. I've known some people who did not have to stop working and get re-evaluated but I think it depends on your circumstances. It sounds like you have a lot going on...

I replied to your other thread. I graduated from KNAP in June, don't think too much has changed. It's not the end of the world but you may be asked to stop working and re-do treatment of some kind, depending on the circumstances of your drinking.

If my experience with having a dilute is what will happen to you -- they are going to do a blood pETH test which will indicate that you have been drinking. You are allowed one freebie relapse but your program, including key restriction, will restart.

Are you getting treatment for the diabetes??

It might look kinda sketch if you refuse to drop that day, though.

I don't think "bad actions" are the only way to end up in a monitoring program. My state monitors just about anyone who admits to ever having had a drug or alcohol problem when they fill out their application, even with a clean background check. One ...

Is your lawyer on good terms with the IPN? My understanding is that the IPN doesn't have to deal with your lawyer at all -- they can just refer your case back to the BON which does have to give you a hearing. If you simply don't sign the contract, yo...

I tested positive for PCP while taking lamictal while I was under monitoring. Even after the GC/MS came back negative, I was still treated with hostility by the woman who ran the program at the time. Like...I didn't even know people still did PCP?! I...

I've known people who did only do 2 or 3 shifts a month to meet their consent agreements. I think your problem would be the initial learning curve would necessitate at least a few shifts in a row since it's been a while for you. My state lets you do ...

Esp if it's already a KNAP-friendly employer, they know what to expect. Getting fired often comes with the territory. :/

We are taking a trip back to my husband's family in Canada for a week -- also going to go hiking around Lake Louise. End of this month. We are also doing two weeks in Morocco in October with a private tour guide. I mostly ate a big salad with poppy ...

You keep repeating this like your ancedotal evidence somehow carries weight. I once cared for a paraplegic who liked to marry his nurses. He went through three in seven years. I also know a burn nurse who married a burn victim and they divorced prett...

I am also a patient with an extensive mental health history and several hospitalizations. And a nurse. This IS the stigma. Calling it "different dynamics" doesn't make the rest of what you just typed any less stigmatizing. It's like starting off a ra...

You have to work as a nurse for something like 18 months while in the program. I am pretty sure you can work as needed as long as it's not as an agency or float nurse and you won't be able to pass narcs for the first six months. You also won't be abl...

My experience waa similar to Lisacar's although I was able to collect until I found a new job within my hospital. I was caught drinking/drunk on the job and had short term disability approved for alcoholism.

Yeah. The no narcs for six months was my biggest hurdle but my state's restrictions aren't as bad as others. My hospital didn't really have a way for me to be on an inpatient unit with that restriction. I was placed on FMLA and received short term di...

My employer did this but I did have to reapply as an internal candidate to jobs that met my practice stipulations. So you might want to brush up your resume. I wouldn't trust what HR is telling you about the program. My HR was just as kind hearted bu...

I wouldn't dismiss a non-nurse job out of hand if it's something you're really considering. (Obvs it really sucks that you have to consider it, but yeah.) I was hired on at Target and a local grocery store while I couldn't work as a nurse and I have ...

CHG resistance is a thing now. We are actually becoming selective with the patients we ask to bathe with it before surgery.

Protein raises blood creat levels, not urine levels. Although we were also advised to eat protein 4 hours prior to testing to help avoid dilutes, as well. Apparently caffeine itself also isn't really a diuretic. At least according to sources linked f...

There is an oft-quoted study done on alcoholics that puts the relapse rate at less than 15% after 5 years of sobriety. Relapse at 2 years of sobriety is 40%. I assume that's why so many of these programs run for 5 years.