Inappropriate nurse support groups

I actually enjoyed my nurse support group meetings. I had to quit going due to my work schedule when I got a new job, but I liked them. Sometimes it was emotional while others it was just mundane life stuff, but I liked it cuz I felt like everyone there could really relate to me. I only shared as much as I was comfortable with but that was more than anything I'd ever share with coworkers, and others probably shared more than me. I originally went thinking it would be like an NA meeting and we'd talk about recovery, NA/AA principles etc, but it was nothing at all like that. We just go around the room and each person says what's going on in their lives, whether it's personal, with kids and spouses, or work related. Often it had nothing to do with recovery, but then all of life is about recovery, and all those little stressors can challenge a person's recovery. So yeah, it was kind of therapy-like, but I liked that. One thing I never forgot though was that anyone there, especially the facilitator, could get in touch with TPAPN to report on me, so I knew never to admit to breaking any rules at all (not that I would drink or use, that's not even an option! But going camping instead of attending my NA meetings, working an extra shift that put me into 4 hours of overtime, stuff like that).

If you're not comfortable sharing personal details, just talk about work, or monitoring issues like paperwork, the drug screens, etc. Anything that's on your mind that you need to talk about, get advice about etc, that other people who are not in monitoring wouldn't understand.

I will frankly straight up say that I go because I am forced to. Ditto with the AA, etc. meetings. At the end of this nightmare, neither will ever see my face again and I will miss them like one would miss a yeast infection. I've been in a few different ones based on having moved around, generally because I've had to go where I could to get work. Two of them were addictions focused, which being mental health, I felt like square peg in a round hole. Two, including the current one are mental health focused which are almost useful in that I don't feel awkward as all get out. I still say very little simply because I have a hard time not being bitter and angry. I am just doing my time and looking toward the end. I prefer the 'if I can't say anything nice (or helpful) don't say anything at all" principal.

Seems I read that another person who frequents this forum spends a lot of time on his phone during meetings.

Where is Spanked, anyway? I miss his comments! He hasn't been around here lately.

I think since he got to go back to the ER, he's probably very busy. Given that one of his biggest upsets was the drop in income, I imagine that he's hitting the overtime pretty hard. But, yeah I miss his comments too.

My comment disappeared. The inmates are running the asylum in my group. We haven't had a facilitator for the last 3/4 groups and we're only getting a $10 discount. On boy, isn't that special?

Cheez and rice!!!!! So you're like paying the facilitator for a coffee klatch that they don't even have to come to? That's lovely. Figures....cue audible eye roll.....