Impaired: A Nurse's Story of Addiction and Recovery

by Patricia Holloran

On June 28, 1996, Patricia Holloran's life changed forever when Drug Control confronted her for the theft of narcotics from the hospital where she worked. So begins a journey that will change everything about what she knows about herself and the world of addiction.As a nurse in a labor and delivery unit, Holloran was working full time on the night shift and taking care of her three children, her husband, and her severely disabled father. She started to take Stadol, a narcotic ten times stronger than morphine, to help her sleep. She kept taking it because she could not stop.Putting a face on addiction and recovery, and the taboo subject of healthcare worker abuse, "Impaired" takes readers on Holloran's journey to fight for her sobriety, her nursing license, her marriage, and ultimately, to help other nurses and healthcare workers who suffer from addiction.

Genres: Medical, Health, Memoir, Nonfiction, Womens, Biography, Addiction

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 3, 2009

Reviews

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good biography of a Nurse's addiction to Stadol, a prescribed narcotic that is ten times more powerful than morphine. Like alot of people who become addicted to prescription drugs, Patricia originally began taking them for migraine headaches. You can see how easy it can be to slide over into that "addiction" phase and not recognize that you are "addicted". You "think" you can stop, that you are still in control but when you realize that is not the case, it's like a steel door hitting you in the face. Total disbelief that this could happen to YOU. Having been a Nurse myself and having known and seen other Nurses who became addicted, it's a looooooong road in recovery and many DO lose their nursing licences, and unfortunately, we lose alot of really good, talented, and dedicated nurses this way.

From dust jacket:

"On June 28, 1996, after a night shift on a labor and delivery unit, nurse Patricia Holloran was accused of stealing prescription drugs by hospital administration. Within days, she would lose her job and be reported to the state nursing board, which threatened to revoke her nursing license and end her career. So begins this tale of a nurse's remarkable and inspirational journey from addiction to recovery, and beyond.

Holloran was first prescribed Stadol, a narcotic ten times more potent than morphine, when she suffered from debilitating migraines. What started out as a helpful prescription soon spiraled out of control.

She had access to the drug at work since it is commonly used during labor, and she started using her patients' unfinished vials. Soon she started pocketing whole vials outright, carrying them home, and hiding them from her family. Even though Holloran was a nurse, she thought she could stop using Stadol because it was not considered a controlled substance.

Set against the backdrop of a punitive disciplinary system, IMPAIRED exposes the personal agony, isolation, and humiliation of addiction. Holloran describes how she saved her nursing license, which ultimately saved her life and her marriage and inspired her to become an advocate for nurses suffering from addiction.

IMPAIRED is the brave story of a nurse addict's self-revelation and her passionate determination to recover and save the career she loves."

[Vince Fontaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

She is no Nurse Jackie. In fact; Why was her Stadol Nasal Spray addiction even a "problem?" She was no where near rock bottom and her whining was incomprehensible. A- for effort and sharing her tale, but She had a real sweet life and her addiction didn't really seem that terrible other than the fact she got caught stealing her supply from work but that's What happens when you're stupid and think you can get away with it.

[Luna · Rating 4 out of 5]

reminiscent of the Showtime series Nurse Jackie - this nurse developed an addiction to a supposedly non-habit forming drug and the story discusses how she is confronted and ultimately deals with the addiction. Overall I enjoyed the book, it got a bit religious for me at times but I know that a lot of that comes from addiction counseling in general (they often suggest finding a higher being). It was a bit of an eye opener to consider medical professionals just as flawed and helpless as the rest of us when it comes to these things.

[Jd · Rating 3 out of 5]

It would be interesting for anyone possibly losing their nursing license. I think there was a lot of denial about stealing drugs from patients. I wish she was more honest about that part of the story. I found some of her behavior "sugar coated" but there was some good advice for anyone in the medical field with a addiction.