Guest Experts

I am a mother to two beautiful girls who I pray will never know the struggle of addiction. I am a sister who has lost one sibling to a drug overdose, but who has another sibling 2 years in recovery. I am a nurse who works at a drug and alcohol rehab who watches people struggle, but also overcome, this terrible disease every day. 

I always knew I wanted to work in healthcare, so when it was time to decide what I wanted to do in college, I explored many options. Ultimately, I decided on nursing because I wanted to take care of people and be as involved in their care as I could. I’ve been a nurse in many settings over the years, but I have never felt more of a connection to my patients as I do when working at a recovery center.

It’s hard to work in this particular area of nursing, because unlike a lot of other settings I've worked in, there isn’t a standard test for patients that then leads to the medication or surgery to treat it. As a nurse I want to give them the medicine and make it better, but that’s not how it works in this field. People in recovery need to do the work themselves while the healthcare workers stand beside them and help them through it. Although it's not as hands-on as a lot of other nursing, I keep doing it because I've seen it work and seeing it work is more rewarding than I can put into words. 

Based on both my personal and professional experience and observations, I've noticed that in order to be successful in recovery a person has to want it for themselves. They need to have a willingness to change, and sometimes as family members or healthcare professionals, we can help them to see it through. Ultimately though, it’s up to them to take the steps toward changing their behaviors. After they’ve taken these first steps, there are things that healthcare professionals can do to assist in their recovery, such as a comfortable detox, therapy, and medicating for underlying symptoms like depression. I believe that we are making positive strides as more and more people become aware of, and learn about, the opioid crisis. They start to talk about it, and it becomes less stigmatized. For this reason, I feel hopeful. The more we talk about it, the more aware the world becomes, and the more help is available. 

One area I think we could do better in, in order to fight addiction would be mental health.  I’d like to see access to mental health services more readily available and easier to navigate. More often than not, the addicts that I've cared for have underlying mental health diagnoses that lead to their alcoholism or drug use. If these underlying conditions were taken care of through therapy and/or medication, then I think a lot of the addiction issues would resolve themselves. My dream is for people to understand mental health, its importance, and its impact on addiction. I think if we could address these issues head on by talking about them and getting help, we could avoid people self-medicating with drugs and alcohol. 

My advice for mothers of addicts is to not give up on your son or daughter. Do everything you can to understand what they’re going through and be there for them despite how often they’ve let you down. Let them know you love them. They need you more than you know. Encourage them to talk to you and offer help wherever you can. Talk to as many people as you can about what’s going on. I have found that people who have gone through it have the best advice and information, and there are a lot of them out there. Most importantly, know that you are not alone. There are far too many other mothers out there who know exactly how you feel and what you’re going through.

-Anne RN