Student and Treatment

I know someone who is a student who wants treatment for their addiction but they are scared about the repercussions when they try to apply for their license. Is it better for them to wait until they get their license or seek treatment now?

Addiction is a chronic, PROGRESSIVE, ultimately fatal (IF UNTREATED) disease of the brain. As with any other chronic disease, waiting generally leads to progression of the disease, causing treatment to be more difficult and possibly less effective.

Depending on the disease and the individual, that progression can be extremely slow or extremely fast. As an example of the "slow" disease...my father has prostate cancer. It's rated as the slowest progressing form of the disease. He was diagnosed 6 years ago and his doctor recommended no treatment. His words were, "You'll die of something else long before the prostate cancer gets you." His PSA is still in the 0.1 - 0.2 range and he has no other symptoms.

When it comes to addiction, progression depends on the person as well as their drug of choice and their access to that drug of choice. With alcohol, it can decades before their physical health declines to the point of death. That is, if they don't die from an accident first. With highly potent medications such as fentanyl and sufentanil, disease progression from first use to death can be 3 months to a year. Again, providing the user doesn't die from an overdose.

For the student nurse, they could end up dead before they graduate. They might also get caught diverting from the hospital which could mean incarceration and no chance to finish school, not to mention all of the "fallout" associated with being arrested and incarcerated.

The advice I give to anyone contacting me with similar questions is to treat addiction as a disease that is as fatal as cancer, heart disease, or any other potentially fatal disease. Most folks don't seem to realize this...or believe it.

If they had cancer, what would they choose...finish school, or get treated?

Jack

When I applied for my PN license there were questions about alcohol and drug abuse. Those were reasons for denial of your license. She abuses alcohol. I think she has done other drugs, but she does not abuse them. I am pretty sure she would not divert drugs since she does not like pain pills. She doesn't even take them when prescribed to her. She is afraid that if she does go to treatment she will not be able to get her license. She keeps trying to quit herself, but it never lasts very long.

When I applied for my PN license there were questions about alcohol and drug abuse. Those were reasons for denial of your license. She abuses alcohol. I think she has done other drugs, but she does not abuse them. I am pretty sure she would not divert drugs since she does not like pain pills. She doesn't even take them when prescribed to her. She is afraid that if she does go to treatment she will not be able to get her license. She keeps trying to quit herself, but it never lasts very long.

I hear what you're saying. But if you listen (or in this case...read between the lines), you're doing your best to defend your friend's using and abusing of alcohol. It's something most people do when a friend or family member may have a chemical dependence "problem". She may not be abusing drugs, but it's a natural next step, especially for someone in health care. I've been dealing with my own disease for 19.5 years...the last 14 clean and sober. I've been a peer advisor for the past 4+ years. When the disease progresses to the point where they might need to drink at work in order to make it through the day, using drugs becomes the way of dealing with it since you can't smell drugs on their breath.

She needs to consult with an attorney who specializes in administrative law and dealing with these kinds of issues with the board of nursing in her state. Only they can give her the answers she needs in order to make an informed decision. But here's the biggest problem she (and you) are facing. If she's abusing alcohol, she isn't capable of making a rational decision when it comes to alcohol use, drugs, treatment, etc. Her brain is being altered by the chronic use of alcohol and any other mood altering substances she may be using/abusing. The changes in the brain are assuring she continues to use. The brain begins to believe the drugs and alcohol are necessary for survival, just like the air she's breathing. Addiction not only increases the need to use, it also decreases the desire and motivation to do things that actually are necessary for survival...like eat, go to work, etc. While alcohol takes longer to destroy the body, it WILL if she doesn't get help now. Delaying treatment of a disease makes it more difficult to treat that disease, and decreases the chances of long term remission. The longer she waits to get evaluation and treatment, the tougher this is going to be when the brown stuff hits the oscillating paddles.

Not treating this disease assures one or more of the following outcomes...hospitalization...jail...morgue.

What good is a nursing license if you end up in jail or dead?

Jack

Jack said :

'Not treating this disease assures one or more of the following outcomes...hospitalization...jail...morgue.

What good is a nursing license if you end up in jail or dead?

Once again Jack has nailed it......

Mark

PS nice to see ya back Jack

Thanks Mark. I'm never too far away.

Jack