Addiction in the Field of Nursing: Facing the Challenges – PART ONE – “The Lay of the Land” [Note to Reader: This is “Part One” of a 2-part blog-post. “Part Two” will be published shortly.] On the face of it, one might not suspect that the nurse administering medical care to you at a…
Prescription Drug Abuse Among Doctors: Statistics & Treatment Options Given the unusual, often arduous challenges facing doctors working during the COVID-19 pandemic, how to best cope with stress is necessarily one dimension of life each and every physician must address. While healthy choices are certainly available to help you adapt to today’s more intensified…
How to Identify and Help a Health Care Professional with a Substance Use Disorder – PART ONE [Note to Reader: This post is “Part One” of a 2-part blog-post. “Part Two” will follow shortly after publication of this post.] The nature of addiction has been studied by scientists and researchers for decades. The American Psychiatric…
[Note to Reader: See “PART ONE” of this 2-part blog-post in the archives.] When a doctor, nurse or any other healthcare professional regularly drinks an unhealthy amount of alcohol, the fact that they’re sustaining some level of professional and personal success may inhibit them from acknowledging they have an alcohol abuse disorder and getting help…
I used to be a college professor and could really relate to being a “high-functioning alcoholic.” I want to share my story, some facts, and offer hope to professionals who might be asking themselves if they’re in the same boat. Let’s start with what it means to be a high-functioning alcoholic. It’s about drinking too…
PART TWO: About Treatment Designed Specifically to Help You Anyone who has experienced their life being “taken over” and dictated by the obsession and compulsion to drink or use drugs knows just how much loss can be involved: the loss of one’s serenity and sanity, self-esteem, self-worth and health, one’s relationship with a spouse, family,…
Are You a Healthcare Professional Trying to “Hold Your Liquor” (or Other Substances) During the COVID-19 Pandemic? It’s clear on so many levels the COVID-19 pandemic has taken an especially hard toll on healthcare professionals, severely taxing them emotionally, mentally and physically. The stress and strain comes in the context of them simply “doing their…
A report by data firm Protenus reveals an alarming problem in the midst of the opioid epidemic, and it’s called “opioid diversion.”[1] The report states that in 2018, over 47 million doses of legally prescribed opioids were “lost” due to healthcare employee theft and misuse, a startling increase of 126 percent from the previous year.…
“Once we realize that imperfect understanding is the human condition, there is no shame in being wrong, only in failing to correct our mistakes.” – George Soros Having been in recovery for 22-plus years, I must say it seems rare for me to hear someone has easily admitted to having a problem with alcohol…
Nurses are some of the most overworked professionals in the United States. Not only do they work long hours, but they must endure physical and emotional demands that most other professionals do not. Unfortunately, with easy access to prescription medications, many nurses find themselves in the throes of addiction. Nurses Who Struggle with Addiction Nurses…