How did you all get caught?

[tutorstupor]

Hi, I am a RN, in England, and an addict, a few years of IV abuse, opiates, amphetamine, ectasy when I am 'off drugs' because this is an accepted recreation over here! and now I am on methadone. I was caught years ago, when I was found stealing items from an old peoles nursing home. The stuff I was taking was useless, old slippers, half bottles of perfume, etc. so the police decided I had problems but was not a criminal. The NH owners wanted to throw the book at me, but somehow I slipped through the net and kept my licence. We don't get asked to do UA's here, it would cause a human rights uproar! I would love to hear how your colleagues found out.

Back Soon - sleeping after night shift!

[hppygr8ful]

For the record I was not "Caught". I came to the understanding that my life was completely out of control and if I didn't do something about it I was going to die. I went to my employer and was fired for some trumped up reason. I say this because I was never impaired at work nor did I divert drugs. I was mainly seeking a way to get treatment since my husband refused to admit that there was a problem in the first place. He refused to even entertain the idea because we couldn'tafford it. In retrospect I should have just gone to the rehab hospital and checked myself in. Turned out my detox and IOP was completly covered by insurance. Any way I referred myself to diversion and since then with God's grace and the good people at AA meetings I have maintained sobriety and 100% compliance. My husband is drinking like a fish these days but that's another story.

[TracyR]

God bless you all, and keep your head up. Please remember WHO your higher power IS!!!! You might want to add to your arsenal of programs, the "Celebrate Recovery" program which was started by the same guy who started the "Purpose Driven Life" movement... go to http://www.celebraterecovery.com ,

God Bless you all!

Tracy

[beckyrn]

thank god i caught because i would still be out there doing exactly what i was doing stealing i loved demerol and how it made me feel and it is still a struggle everyday to stay awayfrom the drugs i loved most. thank god for my higher power


Becky rn

[cricket9698]

Interesting question. I never got caught. I went to treatment because of problems I was having at home. My marriage was falling apart and my now exhusband, I believe, was trying to find a reason to divorce me without making it look like his fault. I was drinking alot at home, but it never interfered with my work. I went to treatment because my lovely ex made of video of me passed out at home and threatened to use it against me for custody of our kids. Unfortunately, I sought treatment at the hospital at which I was employed due to insurance coverage. They in turn had me sign all kinds of "consents" the second day I arrived (iop). Turns out I gave them permission to talk to our employee assistance program and our state nurses "assistance" (I use that term loosely) program. All of a sudden I wasn't allowed to go back to work until I let all those assholes into my life.
That was over three years ago, and I have almost successfully completed our program.(less than 2 weeks to go) I've spent a ton of money paying for random drug screens, and even more money paying for "verification" screens for initial false positives. All the expensive verification screens were negative. If you don't have to enter a professional recovery system don't. They are out to make money and are not out after your own good.

[nurse1stik]

I was caught because I got addicted. I thought I was immune to addiction... nope... It does get you in trouble especially when it involves stealing at all. But, help is an important step, not just to get your license back. But, to feel better.:luck:

[gin]

Have had the unfortunate to knew a few good nurses who turned addict only to then attempt to take their lives. What if anything could a co-worker have done to save their life. Do you agree that a co-worker who turns a peer into the BON is a life-saver? I've always wondered. Especially after losing a few.......:39:

[karen manners]

I was caught or whatever you want to call it, caught works for me,when the nursing board in WA state finally caught up with me after I almost gave a pt. the wrong meds one night after IM'ing too much MS and Dilaudid. It all caught up to me at once and put me in a blackout. The charge nurse sent me home (I almost killed myself driving home and did wreck my car)and when I came back to work the next day, the DNS fired me. Drug use was never mentioned, just bizarre behavior, deteriorated skills, unprofessionalism, etc...no offer of help or suspicion of drug/narcotice use or diversion! I went on to get a job as an RN at another hospital 2 weeks later where the Pharmacy Board finally caught up with and interrogated me at Dennys for what had happened at the previous hospital,(scared the **** out of me)I was then fired there, went on to work at a temp agency for a major hospital in Seattle until about 7 months later when a guy came knocking on my front door saying he needed me to "turn over all copies of my RN license to him immediateley!" I did and then got a job working as a phebotomist 4 weeks later in various places and kept diverting/stealing/ER shopping/Dr. shopping narcotics from various sources for another 10 +/- years! It was pure insanity and I'm not sure how I lived through it, but I did and finally, through no choice of my own, on February 23rd, 1995, I was admitted into a drug and alcohol treatment facility in Tacoma and have been clean ever since. It was very hard at first and I was very lost and angry at everyone, but slowly I got better. Lots of other terrible things happened during this whole time too, but I don't have time to write it all in this note. If you want to know more detail, I would be happy to talk to anyone who wants to know if it will help them. I don't recommend that life of craziness to anyone! LOL!!! I received no support from fellow nurses who were supposed to be my friends. (they say nurses eat their young and back then I believed it). I have never been so scared in all my life or felt so sad or alone, like I was the ONLY ONE to have this problem!!! I eventully went back to college and got my BA in Psych and continued to work in the phlebotomy field. As of Jan 8th, I'm now in the process of getting my RN reinstated (there are a number of things I have to complete to do this) and am really excited to be coming full circle and staying clean and sober. I will once again be able to work in a hospital, which I used to love to do before I started using drugs and drinking. My life is good and I am happy most of the time. I have a great support network of friends in AA, NA and out. To those of you struggling with this, hang in there and try to get help as soon as possible and/or into treatment. My worst day clean is better than my best day using! If there is anything I can do to help or offer encouragement, let me know...

Sincerely,
Karen :luck:
Karen:luck:

[Kristen2987]

I was caught drinking and driving, alright. One good thing that has emerged from this whole ordeal is that I quit drinking for two years now. The consequences posed by the BON, however, appears endless. Just when I begin to think less and less about my criminal past, and start to feel better about myself, here comes the BON with correspondence to shatter any such delusions. My family and close friends think that I am being overly fatalistic about my situation, and that I'm adhering to an unrealistic subculture of nursing, were people aren't allowed to make mistakes. My boyfriend sardonically asked me the other night if I thought that President Bush might be on some sort of "low profile" probation by the departments and agencies responsible for implementing presidential directives as a consequence of his DUI? Smart ---! All joking aside for a moment, for I truly do not whish to make light the importance of the neither disciplinary process, nor do I wish to trivialize the magnitude of my actions. We live and learn. Anyway, good luck to all of those who have had, or will have, the privilege of experiencing the BON disciplinary process at glacier speed.

Kristen

[robin4465]

hey there! i was "caught" in the worst possible way. i had had surgery in 2004 and was placed on percocet for pain. i built up a tolerance quickly where 2 became 4, 4 became 6 etc, etc. until i was taking 25-30 a day. i wouldn't take tham at work, but i would take 6 or 7 right before i went out the door. wrecked my car 3-4 times. missed a boat-load of work. but everytime they drug tested me i had a valid Rx. then i went doctor shopping. i did this for about 2 1/2-3 months, but man did i take a crap-load of percocet. i barely remember that time. i was also one 2mg kolopin qid. i was a zombie. then one day, i tried to quit cold turkey, went through withdrawals from hell over the next week, realized what i had done to my family and started back. then on july 15th, 2004, i diverted mso4 and valium, and phenergan from the hospital and tried to commit suicide in the parking lot at work. i don't remember alot of what happened, maybe that is for the best, but i respiratory arrested, and the securty guard found me with a pulse ox in the 50's, then i didn't breath at all. they drug tested me after they gave ne narcan, and of corse it was positive as it could be, plus there was a big ole fat needle in my arm and vials of the narcs in my pocket. well, i suurendered my license and i am in the alternative program which lasts for 3 years, and i have to call a 1-800 # 5 days a week for random drug screens. man are thoses things pricey! i work at a hospital that fortunately i got a job pretty quicly after i got my license back, bu the other nurses hung the fact that i had narc retrsictions over my head like black-mail. this hospital was not recovery friendly.
there was 2 of us in the program on our floor and recently the other girl relapsed and now the other girls are asking me when should they exspect me to relapse to. i don't pay them any attention because i am strong in my recovery and i know God will take care of me, like he did in the parking lot that night. plus, focusing on me means they aren't focusing on what's wrong with them i think! well, i have blabbered enough, but if you work hard in your recovery, you will see results guys, have faith and God will take care of you. He does sometimes in ways that you can't see, you don't always get what you ask for , but you get what you need...keep that in mind!!!