Nurse Suspected Of Being Under The Influence At Wilkes-Barre Hospital

With all the talk of heroin, opiates, and other illegal narcotics that are being used sometimes we don't hear the horrible effects of alcoholism.  Alcohol has the ability to do the same damage as any other drug.

On February 4th, a nurse at a local hospital in Wilkes-Barre is suspected of being under the influence of alcohol during a surgical procedure.  He admitted that he was drinking while he was on call to local authorities.  His duties during surgery include prepping the patient, monitoring vital signs, and documenting the procedure in their computer system.  The nurse was seen on video surveillance stumbling out of his car and bumping into things.

Whether this particular man suffers from alcoholism is unknown to us.  What we are simply stating is that alcohol, the most abused drug in the country, also has the capability of wreaking havoc on people's lives.

The disease of addiction doesn't discriminate either.  Whether you are a nurse, doctor, lawyer, or unemployed for that matter; alcoholism does not care.  In the medical profession, addiction presents its issues in people that are suffering from talking about it.  We wrote an article (click HERE) about the medical profession and the damaging effects it has.  Many people won't say anything about their addiction because of employment issues.  With licensing an issue, many people will not report that they have a problem until it's too late.  This recent case may be an example of that.

We don't harbor any judgement against this nurse.  If addiction to alcohol is a problem we understand why someone would do this.  It is because the alcoholic while drinking has no choice in whether they drink or don't drink.  It is not someone's intentions to put their life and other's lives in jeopardy.  The problem is that the person isn't the one calling the shots.  Alcoholism is and cannot be fought alone.

Again, it does not matter who you are.  If you are struggling or a loved one is struggling with alcoholism you need help.  Clearbrook has served as a Pennsylvania alcohol rehab for decades.  We operate a Pennsylvania alcohol detox and treatment program that can enable the person drinking a new life. Please call our admissions department 24/7 at 1.800.582.6241.

How has Clearbrook Changed Your Life???

Clearbrook Treatment Centers are Pennsylvania drug rehabs that have helped tens of thousands of people recover from the disease of addiction. Our approach is simple. The person who is using alcohol and drugs to change their lives are sick people. At our adult inpatient facility or our adolescent treatment center we can offer the addict and their families hope for the rest of their life. The first step on the road to recovery is to ask for help or to agree to be helped.

Did you go to Clearbrook?? Has your life changed. Please comment below and let us know what it was like, what happened, and what it is like now.

T.I.M.E. Heals Wounds

When we first got sober some of us may have instantly wanted the people in our lives to trust us. We expected them to automatically forgive us for all the things we’d done while using. Maybe we even thought to ourselves, “I deserve for them to trust me because now I’m sober and I’ve changed.”
We quickly realized that we didn’t deserve their trust. We were irresponsible for so long. We lied, we cheated, we stole. Why should they think that we’d act any differently right away?
Those around us were right to second-guess us. We had not built any sort of trust back up. We owed it to them to prove, through our actions that we were worthy of their trust. It wasn’t easy. We couldn’t put any expectations on the ones we love. They deserved time and proof that we turned our lives around. We had to be patient with them because the more we pushed for their forgiveness the more we acted like the person who used drugs and alcohol and manipulated them so many times. The only thing that allowed them to trust us is TIME. It wasn’t easy to say the least. But seeing growth and change is a process and only happens through doing the next right thing. Eventually we regained their trust.


In case you didn’t know:
A survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) indicates that on average 13. 2% of all people 16 or older drove under the influence of alcohol and 4.3% of this age group drove under the influence of illegal drugs in 2009. In an average year 30 million Americans drive drunk and 10 million drive impaired by illegal drugs

Daily Gratitude

I am grateful I am able to trust. Today I will put my trust in God's hands. I pray that I continue to trust God with all my problems.

Relapse Prevention

The stories we hear in meetings often shock us. It seems hard to believe that some members could have harmed themselves in such ways. We hear about arrests, bankruptcies, loss of family and home, lost jobs, violence, jail, physical injury – the list goes on. Most of us said to ourselves, "I never was that bad. Maybe I don't really belong here."

Our sponsors and fellow members quickly straightened us out. We were comparing our histories with other members. We were told to identify with the stories, not compare. Some of us had been lucky that worse things hadn't happened to us while we were using. We were reminded those things hadn't happened to us "yet." If we relapsed, the "yets" were waiting.

Today I'll remember to identify, not compare. I don't want to relapse and go through THE YETS.

Clearbrook Treatment Centers are drug and alcohol treatment centers that focus on plans for relapse prevention.