Substance Abuse and Impaired Nursing

I don’t think any nurse wakes up in the morning and says I want to do drugs or get drunk today.  I believe substance abuse is a disease.  The part of the brain affected creates such a craving that the person will lie or do things uncharacteristically to get their drug of choice.  Many nurses say “well I don’t use substances before I go to work or at work.”  Because substance abuse is a disease, if left untreated, it can get out of hand.  The Board does not know when you are using substances and it really does not matter.  The Board does not want a nurse to use controlled substances.

Imagine a Norco is missing and a nurse has a prescription for Norco for chronic pain.  She is asked to take a drug screen and low and behold it is positive for opiates.  How does the employer or the Board for that matter know the medication was from your prescription?  

You worked too hard for your license.  If you need help, most states have peer assistance programs.  However, when you go to one of these programs, watch what you are signing.  In Indiana, when you contact the program to get evaluated, they send you a bunch of consents.  One is to release information to the Attorney General’s Office and the other is to release information to the Board of Nursing.  Please do not sign these.  If something happens and you choose not to go into the program or are not compliant with the program, you just gave them permission to report you to the Board.  Check out your Employee Assistance Program (EAP) as help is available there too.  

I am not sharing this to dissuade you from getting the help you need.  Just like any disease, substance abuse requires treatment and the sooner the better.  If left untreated, it can cost you your life.