Substance abusers disillusion me...

[FireStarterRN]

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. But, I must admit, this type of patient disillusions me...

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

[Virgo_RN, BSN, RN]

CountyRat,

Thank you.

[Farmer Jane]

CountyRat, that was a FABULOUS post. Brava!

[FireStarterRN, BSN, RN]

Great post Country Rat! You said it all.

[GadgetRN71, ASN, RN]

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.

ITA, and the issue I have with the whole drug addiction thing is that the abuser takes his/her family, friends and coworkers along for the ride. I feel I have the right to be "judgemental" when a loved one has stolen money from me, verbally and physically abused others in my family. It's selfishness to the 10th degree.

Now, I try to treat all my patients with human dignity. But, I will not tolerate abuse from anyone. If there are victims in drug addiction, IMO, they are the people who have to tolerate criminal, dangerous behavior from someone who made the choice to start using drugs.