205: Nurses Series: Sober Nurse On The Challenges of Finding Recovery In Healthcare With Stephanie

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October 10, 2023 • 40 mins

Stephanie was always a high achiever. She felt that if she kept things together, then people would leave her alone. When her father died when she was 16, she doubled down on that strategy, keeping her external appearance spotless when internally she was a mess.

She began drinking heavily then and felt like she didn’t belong anywhere. She sought out other broken people and found them quickly and her drinking jumped to new levels.

She was unwavering in hiding her internal world. She made it into a great college, she completed her nursing program on time and immediately started working as a nurse. Heavy drinking was under the surface, but it never affected her work. It was just her way of coping with the tragedy and pain she faced everyday. Her patients got 100%, always. She never wavered in the quality of care they received.

Then the pandemic hit which poured gasoline on the fire. Each day she would finish and immediately start drinking. Even then it still felt normal, but cracks started to form until she finally realized she truly needed help.

Today she’s found a community and the coping skills she needs to continue to do the challenging work of nursing but this time without alcohol. She shares her story in hopes of helping other nurses going through something similar and thinking that it’s not possible to get help without affecting their job.

Tune in to Learn About:

The Facade of Perfection: Join us as we explore Stephanie's journey of maintaining a flawless exterior while battling inner turmoil. Discover how the loss of her father at a young age shaped her coping mechanisms.

Escalation of Drinking: Dive into Stephanie's experience of turning to alcohol as a means of finding belonging and numbing her pain. Learn how her search for like-minded individuals escalated her drinking habits.

Nursing with a Hidden Struggle: Learn about Stephanie's remarkable ability to excel in her nursing career while battling heavy drinking in secret. Explore how she managed to provide top-notch patient care while grappling with her own demons.

The Pandemic's Impact: Discover how the pandemic exacerbated Stephanie's drinking problem, pushing her to confront the cracks in her facade. Understand the tipping point that led her to seek help.

Finding Hope and Community: Explore Stephanie's journey to recovery and her discovery of a supportive community. Learn how she developed new coping skills to continue her nursing career without relying on alcohol.

Inspiring Other Nurses: Stephanie shares her story in the hope of inspiring fellow nurses facing similar struggles. Gain insights into how it's possible to seek help without jeopardizing one's career in healthcare.

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