|
A Registered Nurse Is Apprehensive About Her Disabling Depression And Decides To Abstain From Drinking
For the past eleven years Carolyn has been a nurse at a inner city hospital. As a licensed practical nurse, she obviously knew what to tell her patients concerning their health concerns but in her private life, however, she undeniably didn't practice what she preached. For instance, she commonly drank quite heavily, she almost never exercised, she smoked one-and-a-half packs of cigarettes per day, and she was just about thirty-nine-forty pounds overweight.
One afternoon on her way to the hospital, Carolyn got into a car accident. Since the accident was her fault and since her speech was slurred when she talked, the arresting policeman administered a breathalyzer test. In accord with standard police policy, when an individual gets involved in a vehicle accident and does not pass a sobriety test, the individual has to spend at least four hours in the county jail.
In point of fact, Carolyn should have known better than to drive after she had been drinking because she recently attended an alcohol abuse awareness class at the hospital that centered on issues, statistics, and information about long term alcohol effects such as the following: DUIs, binge drinking, alcohol poisoning, and the primary differences between alcoholism and alcohol abuse.
Needless to say, Carolyn experienced more than a little shame about her traffic accident. Furthermore, she experienced quite a bit of shame about the fact that the accident was her fault. And maybe worst of all she was humiliated by the fact that she was driving while under the influence. As Carolyn considered her situation, nonetheless, she realized how fortunate she was because down the line her drinking problems could have been a lot worse due to the long term effects of alcohol.
In any event, Carolyn's shame about her car accident motivated her to reevaluate her life and make some substantial and beneficial alterations. First, she was going to quit drinking in an irresponsible manner. This would clearly help her stay away from long term alcohol abuse. Second, she was going to quit smoking. Third, she was going to go on a strict weight-loss diet. And fourth, she was going to begin exercising.
As disappointed and depressed as Carolyn was about the entire vehicle accident situation, she used this distressing experience as a springboard for healthy change. Furthermore, she used her agonizing experience as a real source of discovery that she had been neglecting her own health while she professionally told her patients how to live in a more healthy manner. After all had been said and done, she finally saw the hypocrisy in her behavior and came to a decision that she would live her life as a constructive example for the patients at the hospital.
Related Articles
More Resources
|
