Healing the Healers

Read My Research

Do you want to learn about the impact of drug addiction on registered nurses? Grab a copy of Addiction in the Lives of Registered Nurses and Their Wake-Up Jolt to Recovery written by Dr. Carol A. Stanford, MPH, Ed.D. To purchase a copy, please call or place an order using the order form.

About the Book

In this age of increasing headlines about drug addiction and prescription drug abuse, Addiction in the Lives of Registered Nurses and Their Wake-Up Jolt to Recovery is a timely revelation of how the nursing profession is also impacted by substance abuse. It allows nurses, who are the most trusted profession in society, who have been hidden within their profession and living with substance use disorders, to openly voice their personal experiences with addiction. Seven nurses detail their journey through family dynamics, early use as nursing students and later career nurses as they traveled deeper and deeper into their addiction. They discuss their shame, humiliation, and dejection under the throes of the compelling forces of drugs and alcohol. They also describe how their family, other nurses, the healthcare system, and the society assisted them in perpetuating their deception and denial about their disease. They explain how they lied, stole, and cheated those around them to maintain their addiction.

Each explains in detail the confrontations and the “jolt” and “wake up call” it took for them to awaken, become sober, and truly enter recovery. They are all candid and forthright in order to help others that are impacted by this horrific and complex disease. They each share how recovery is possible when appropriate attitudes and tools are put in place to support nurses suffering from the devastation of addiction. Their stories bring attention to the importance of intervention, treatment, and recovery communities within the nursing profession. Recovery is emphasized as a “gift” by each of these nurses. The nurses and the researchers provide suggestions and recommendations to assist the healthcare community in addressing addiction in nursing. Addiction in the Lives of Registered Nurses and Their Wake-Up Jolt to Recovery reveals how recovery for nurses is a major public health benefit.

 Substance Use Disorder in Nursing

This manual was developed to provide practical and evidence-based guidelines for evaluating, treating, and managing nurses with a substance use disorder. Dr. Stanford was one of the authors that helped develop the guidelines by conducting an exhaustive review of the research literature on drug and alcohol abuse and surveying alternative to discipline programs. It contains the most current research and knowledge from the field and literature. It is a comprehensive resource and is available at: https://www.ncsbn.org/SUDN_11.pdf.