Substance abusers disillusion me...

Nurses General Nursing

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Had another ETOH withdrawal patient yesterday, he was also a mental health patient in real life, chronically unemployed, and had been readmitted after being discharged post knee-replacement surgery (thank you U.S. taxpayer!), meth positive and in full blown ETOH withdrawal.

High-dose protocol, IV Ativan q 1/2 hour, 1:1 sitter in room + wrist restraints. Any time the patient awoke he launched into loud abusive profanity and tried to grab the crotch of the sitter.

I guess one positive in all this is job security for healthcare professionals, including myself. :rolleyes: But, I must admit, this type of patient disillusions me...:no:

I ask you, how does a person such as this afford a 1/5 of whiskey a day, plus methamphetimine???:confused:

Specializes in Tele,CCU,ER.

congrats bossynurse, I am glad to hear you story...I just hoped other people suffering from addictions could hear it to have hope!!! :) and no addicts are NOT a piece of '@")!' NOWAY!!! who would say that? Shame on those nurses. Were supposed to be advocates and compassionate.

I just think some need help...but some don't want it so how are you to help them?? I've tried sometimes to help them and refer them to AA, NA and its hard because they refuse.

again., kudos to you!!!

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Specializes in Med Surg, Nursing Administration for SNF.
Bossynurse, you, yourself, sound awfully judgmental in your post, I thought I would point out, in case you weren't aware. I think it would be nice to hear your perspective without you raking other people over the coals for expressing theirs...

Not raking anyone over the coals; only trying to point out that SOME of the other peoples' perspectives seem to be void of the compassion so many of us nurses claim to have. As an addict in recovery I found some of the prior posts to be downright ugly. I just want people to understand that there is usually "the rest of the story". I used to be one of those "scum" pts and reading those posts hurt. As far as not wanting help, unfortunately the biggest s/s of addiiction is DENIAL (and relapse). If some people cant or wont stop, jail can be a Godsend or intervention. The alternatives are institutions and death. Personally, I thank God for the nurse who turned me in.

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Really!!!!? Cannabis was the only thing that came up on his tox report. I know people personally that have used weed long term and nothing works for their pain just weed. This patient hadn't had their 'daily' blunt so dilaudid and benadryl gave him that high to make his pain go away. (or that was his explanation after I drilled him with questions) He was a s/p assault so was in pain. Ha, maybe am gullible. still pain is pain right and as nurses we've gotta help them regardless of their history!!!

So you just quit like that? (if you don't mind me asking) I knew it wasn't that bad. My friend keeps telling me he has side effects from trying to quit...i knew he was a liar...haha...'what I do for fun' (sorry out of context!)

Marajuana stays in your system longer than any other so I wonder if that person was indeed doing something else. My ex and I use to have the arguement over whether or not marajuana was addicting. Yet when he didn't have it watch out you could really tell and didn't want to be around him. Plus you had the people coming over just to "get high" and they were always over. when i put my foot down and said no more in the house, they moved it to outside in the back (set up cable tv,electric ect) so they could watch tv and get high. I think the difference between an addict and recreational user is whether or not you let it control your life.

Bossynurse, I am sorry you feel you shouldn't share your story, I have a sister that was a meth addict and sister thats an alcoholic so I have 1st hand experience of the judgemental view. I was very judgemental of them, my one sister ripped everyone off, dropped off her kids at cps, and basically didn't give a s*** about anything except her drugs. Its hard not to be judgemental of that when they just don't mess just thier lives up but everyone else's to boot. I have to admit i do have to make a conscious effort to take care of the pt and not look at drug situation they are in. It can be hard when you have such close dealings with family members and addiction. I don't think everyone looks at it that way. I have had some pts that were addicts but had every reason to be in pain and because of thier history and the need for increased amounts of pain medicine, some nurses would withhold thier med or give less than the ordered (if was a dose range would give lowest.)

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I know you guys are general nurses and I got into nursing for mental health. But honestly their is a person behind the drugs and mental illness. Instead of being judgemental try thinking how that person got that way. Treat them like you would want your mum and dad treated. Just cause they are druggies there was a reason why that happened. People don't just wake up one day and say "hey I think I am going to waste my life and do drugs". Trauma happens to the best of us - good to remember. It really gets my back up when General Nurse get pissy or scared of these patients...it could be you or it could be you kids one day

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Specializes in Med Surg, Nursing Administration for SNF.

I would like to extend an apology to any nurse who feels that I offended them. You are right - I am judging in my own way. I think maybe it is just too much for a non-addict to really understandan addict or alcoholic. How cd they? How cd I understand a non-addict? I just hope that we as a society can seek more to understand than to be understood. For those of you who encounter an addict (that has some lucidity) you might want to have the number of someone in recovery and slip it to him/her. FYI -there is usually a 24 hour hotline for AA/NA. Sometimes one who has been there may be able to get through a little easier.

:bow:

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

When an addict is hurling profanities and being highly abusive towards healthcare workers, it's hard to have sympathy for them. Nurses are people too, not really angels. I get tired of being expected to be an ascended benevolent being that never judges anyone, no matter how horribly they are behaving towards me.

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Specializes in LTC/SNF, Psychiatric, Pharmaceutical.
When an addict is hurling profanities and being highly abusive towards healthcare workers, it's hard to have sympathy for them. Nurses are people too, not really angels. I get tired of being expected to be an ascended benevolent being that never judges anyone, no matter how horribly they are behaving towards me.

We are not angels; we are not martyrs.

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Specializes in Med Surg, Nursing Administration for SNF.

Whatever. Since when do we take things that sick people say to us personally? And how does that justify your unkind remarks when youre not at work? :no:

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.
Whatever. Since when do we take things that sick people say to us personally? And how does that justify your unkind remarks when youre not at work? :no:

If you look back on my posts here, I actually didn't say anything unkind. I reported my disillusionment that I feel after taking care of a very difficult patient.

As far as tolerating verbal abuse by patients, I don't think nurses should be doormats for verbal abuse.

I actually think you are the one taking things personally because of your history of recovery. I applaud you, but advise you to not be too condemning of those who find outrageous behavior by substance abusers to be offensive.

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We need to remember that addiction IS a disease. It is hard to keep it in mind, but consider this--- why would anyone willingly CHOOSE to destroy their life with drugs? True that they initially chose to take the first step in trying these drugs, but after that their brains physiologically change. This is not just a moral lapse- it is a biologically founded disorder.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Personally, my care of the mentally ill and drug addicts has been forever changed by one patient. These are still people, they are still someone's family member.

They were once cute little babies, adorable toddlers, etc....

I totally know it is not easy to deal with these patients.

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Specializes in Acute Mental Health.

I think the OP was venting. I'm sure each and every one has had a difficult pt that really got under our skin. This is a place where collegues can come together for support when we've had a bad day. We all know that addiciton is a disease, or at least that is what we are taught in NS. I think its ok to come here and vent, it keeps us kickin on the front. :redbeathe

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