15 years into sobriety, I have taken the first step (pun intended) and applied to two separate nearby nursing schools, a nine month LPN program and a two year RN program, here in Panama City. My test scores were solid. I also have several outstanding recommendations from local healthcare professionals, and an extensive history of volunteer work with the local detox and rehabs. Over the course of the next few weeks, I will be meeting academic advisers, counselors, and a selection committee.
And I have questions concerning my past and how that might affect my future.
I wanted honest opinions on how upfront and in depth about my past I should be. My bottom was extremely low - homelessness, mental illness, jail. While, I'm open about being a recovering alcoholic, I generally don't go into great detail about my past to people outside the rooms or recovery.
"Why did you drop out of college?", "Why did you get out of the military?", "Have you ever had a DUI or similar conviction?", Any single question about my past and my alcoholism is out of the bag. Any follow up question only continues to reinforce the fact that, even though, I have 15 years of sobriety, I was and still am an alcoholic.
While I consider my struggles with alcoholism and mental illness as one of the greatest assets I could possibly have as a nurse in the addiction/chemical dependency field, I understand others, not in recovery, may not view my experiences in the same light.
I was curious what experiences others in recovery in the nursing community have had and if they had advice.
