[Gayla RN]

Tracy, my heart and prayers are with you during this period of change in your life. I have worked beside you, and you are without a doubt one of the finest nurses that I have ever had the pleasure to work with. (I used to work Ortho at Baptist, just down the hall, and you have come to my rescue many times.) Hang in there. Be strong. You have what it takes make it.

Gayla Johnson Mullen, RN

[Anonymous]

I think you made an excellent choice in how to handle your situation.. I beleive when people have all the facts and can begin to understand they are more accepting of you.

You are on the high road to health and well being and should be very proud of your self.

WR,,, theee commas for Becca

[TracyR]

I can't say it enough... I am truly in the company of Giants!

By the way... I've decided to add a section to the main NurseServer site that deals solely with addictions. The link will be located in the left hand menu... I'll announce new developments to all my brothers and sisters here at the forum.

[lisaf]

Girl in California needs help!!! I'm not yet an RN but just passed nursing school and almost ready to send in my application to the BRN. I have been in recovery since '97' after being arrested for drug possesion. I went through a diversion program at that time and have been clean and sober ever since. I know this has to be reported to the BRN but am unsure of how much detail they need. I have to write a letter explaining what happened but could really use some help from someone who has done this before.

[midnitemurph]

I have just finished reading all the posts in this thread, and I am so amazed at the level of support I see here! I am a recovering IVDA. Been clean for eight years now. Nursing was a midlife career for me. I was clean when I started nursing school, but I too was afraid to mention it to my classmates. I did tell one very good friend who was wonderfully supportive. I have been an RN now for almost a year. I work in the ED and handle narcs every day, and so far with God at my back, there has been no temptation to use. Some of my trusted colleagues know of my past, and not one of them has questioned my abilities. I have found that I can draw on those experiences that I have lived through when dealing with addicts that come in to the ED in distress and pain.

God Bless you all.
Murph

[Anonymous]

Premise of AA and Alnon.. Helping others helps you..You gotta give it away to keep it....

You are a blessing to evey one. Hold your head high..


WR,,, three commas for Becca

[zarow]

Hello to all.I am so glad to find others like me... I did not knowof this til today.I am an RN with 6 years clean in August..my liscense was suspended in Az and I am elegible to reapply in Aug 2004..I am scared to death as Az is very punitive,anyone else been through this? I am feeling like I am waiting for the other shoe to drop.If anyone has been through the reinsatement process I would love advice Thanks and God Bless

[Bettyl]

Tracy
I love it when you say "I'm truly in the company of Giants". I love the forum. I'm also in recovery. Have been clean and sober for two and a half years. My addiction was caught early Praise God. In 2002 my brother died in June and then in September my Dad died of a broken heart (in part from heart disease and my brother dying). I had broken my elbow slipping on glue (from a carpet layer putting new rug down in our hallway at work)just before my brother died. Those pills they gave me sure were nice, because they helped me cope with the deaths I didn't want to face. Needless to say it started affecting my job performance and one day the nurse manager came just before my shift was over and wanted a UA. Guess what? It was dirty.
So began my journey of recovery. Now I am trying to find a job and it has been hard. Please all keep me in your prayers..Where there is a will, there has got to be a WAY............

[Bettyl]

It is so refreshing to be among fellow addicts. I think this is the only place I have found that hits this issue head on. I'm glad that I have had to face this disease head on. I was confronted at work after my job performance went down, and UA'd. I know of nurse's (some I worked with) who are deep in their disease and don't want to admit it. All though I have had to face issues in my life that helped bring me down the road of addiction, I would not change one iota of my recovery.
It has instilled in me a compassion for other people that I don't think I was capable of before.
My addiction started in 2002 after my brother died in June (car accident), and then my Dad died in September. Possibly of a litteral broken heart (CHF, and my brothers death). I just didn't know how to personnely deal with death. Being a nurse I knew how to tell people the stages of grief but boy when it came to applying it to my self it was as if I had never heard of the stages of grief.

[slbeck27]

I love reading stories from other addicts it really gives me hope. I once felt like I was alone in my addiction.The guilt was overwhelming and the shame almost too much to bear.It is through people like us that the world will hopefully become more understanding of the disease of addiction and therefore will become more supportive. I have been clean for about a month now and I couldn't feel any better. I once felt like I "needed" pills to survive and now I don't know how I ever survived "with" them. Thank You for being so open and honest it really makes the light at the end of the tunnel so much brighter.

shannon