No one begins their nursing career planning to develop an addiction. As nurses, many of us believe we are somehow protected from physical and mental illness. We’re highly educated, understand physiology and pharmacology, and know how drugs affect the body. We know the risks, contraindications, half-lives, and benefits of medications.

Ironically, that in-depth understanding can increase our vulnerability to develop mental health issues and substance use disorders (SUD) (Trinkoff et al. 2000 and New, L. L. (2023). Our knowledge can increase the likelihood of self-medication. Compared to the general population, nurses often feel more confident managing symptoms of pain, insomnia, emotional exhaustion, and mental health conditions on their own, sometimes without recognizing the risks involved (Brown, 2025).

Nursing is inherently stressful work. We are regularly exposed to trauma, grief, high-acuity situations, and emotional demands. Yet many of us lack adequate outlets, coping mechanisms, or support systems to process those experiences. When stress accumulates and goes unaddressed, it can contribute to conditions such as anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Due to their availability, some nurses turn to drugs or alcohol as a way to numb difficult emotions or quiet overwhelming thoughts.

Now imagine you are a nurse struggling with substance use. You’re not exactly sure how you arrived at this place, but you know something is wrong. You know you need help, yet you are uncertain who you can trust or where to turn.

Questions race through your mind:

“Do I really have a problem?”

“If I do, what kind of help will I need”

“Who is going to find out?”

“What will people think of me?”

“Will I lose my license? My job?”

“How did this happen?”

Alongside these questions often comes overwhelming shame, fear, and a profound sense of isolation.

Many years ago, I was that nurse. I was in treatment with others who had SUDs, but I had no connection to another nurse who had walked my path, faced the same fears, or challenged the stigma of what it means to be a nurse with an SUD. When I was confronted with challenges related to my employment and my nursing license, I had no community where I could express what it felt like to be a nurse with addiction or how ashamed I felt about myself.

What I remember most was the silence. I could sit in a room full of people and still feel completely alone because I did not know if anyone else could understand what it felt like to be both a nurse and a person struggling with addiction. I worried that if I said the words out loud, everything I had worked for would disappear. I worried people would stop seeing me as a competent nurse and only see my illness. That fear kept me quiet longer than it should have.

Looking back now, I know what I needed was not judgment or punishment first. I needed honest information, safe support, and connection to another nurse who could say, “I understand. You are not the only one.” I needed someone who could help me separate shame from accountability, and fear from recovery. That kind of connection matters because it reminds us that we are still whole people, even when we are facing something difficult.

I was frightened, alone, and uncertain where to turn. I never intended to develop an SUD. At first, all I wanted was relief from the constant chatter in my mind, the endless stream of worries that seemed to grow louder when I tried to sleep. No matter how exhausted I was, I could not quiet my thoughts.

When I looked at my life, everything appeared fine on the surface. I was educated, had a supportive family, food on the table, a home, and a car in the garage. I remember asking myself, “What do I have to be depressed or anxious about?”

Instead of seeking professional help and receiving an appropriate diagnosis, I turned to medications left over in my own medicine cabinet. I used them to quiet my mind and help me sleep. What I believed was a solution became the beginning of my addiction.

My journey through SUD was not straightforward. It ultimately required two separate treatment episodes, including a relapse, before I reached sustained remission and recovery. Looking back, I understand that addiction is not a moral failing or a lack of willpower. It is a chronic, but treatable disease.

It is estimated that more than 15% of Americans will struggle with addiction at some point in their lives (Molloy, 2024). Among nurses, the prevalence may be even higher because many of the risk factors are embedded within our profession. There are more than 250,000 nurses in Minnesota; 15% is 37,500 nurses. SUDs among healthcare professionals are frequently underreported and hidden, often because of the shame associated with not meeting our own personal and professional expectations.

Nursing is consistently ranked among the most trusted professions in the United States. For many years, nurses have held the top position in Gallup's annual honesty and ethics rankings, yielding that distinction only briefly in 2001, when firefighters were recognized in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. While that trust is something to be proud of, it can also make it harder for nurses to acknowledge when they themselves need help.

Recognizing the need for help is not a sign of weakness. It is an act of courage. Recovery is possible, and no nurse should have to face SUD alone.

This is where the Nurses Peer Support Network (NPSN) and other similar organizations come in—to help nurses feel supported by our own community. A grassroots organization, NPSN was started in 2014 by nurse Marie Manthey to support nurses with SUDs and help them find community. By nurses, for nurses, the network offers peer support from nurses who have lived experience with SUD.

Peer support is offered through both individual connections and group support, mostly in a virtual format, to provide connection, healing, and support. Right now, there are 14 confidential meetings available to nurses on different days and at different times throughout the month. One meeting is held on a national recovery platform and reaches nurses not only in Minnesota, but also nationally and internationally, who are looking to connect with other nurses seeking recovery. In 2025, NPSN had approximately 5,000 nurses attend peer support meetings, averaging more than 400 per month.

Many nurses receive limited education about SUD within our own profession, leaving us unaware of how common these struggles can be and what resources are available for support (Brown, 2025). NPSN and similar organizations often provide outreach and education to nurses, organizations that employ nurses, and the public about SUDs in the nursing profession.

NPSN is invited to conferences, Nursing Grand Rounds, nurse residency programs, and schools of nursing to educate and advocate, with the goal that every nurse in Minnesota knows about the resources NPSN provides. This aligns with the Emergency Nurses Association and the International Nurses Society on Addictions recommends that healthcare facilities educate nurses and other employees about alcohol and other drug use and establish policies and practices that promote safe, supportive, drug-free workplaces (Strobbe & Crowley, 2017).  

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses have experienced elevated mental health concerns and increased substance use associated with occupational strain, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and secondary trauma (Arble et al., 2023; Cuccia, 2022). This makes sharing resources, support, and removing the stigma associated with SUD even more important.

Nurses are still caring for patients in environments that can be emotionally heavy, fast-paced, and deeply stressful. Many are carrying more than others ever see. When mental health or substance use concerns begin to surface, stigma can become one of the biggest barriers to getting help. Nurses may fear being judged, reported, misunderstood, or viewed as unsafe before they are seen as human. While we can seek professional resources for diagnosis and care, it is often connection with other nurses facing similar challenges that aids in healing and restores hope.

Peer support does not replace treatment, monitoring, therapy, or professional care. It adds something those services cannot always provide: the presence of someone who has lived it. It creates a place where a nurse can speak honestly without having to explain every part of the culture, fear, responsibility, and identity that come with nursing. Organizations that employ nurses can help by making resources like NPSN visible, talking about them before a crisis occurs, and reminding nurses that asking for help is not the end of a career. It can be the beginning of recovery.

NPSN did not exist when I experienced my SUD and treatment. I had to search far and wide to find connection with other nurses who understood what I was carrying. Nurses today don’t have to search the same way; there are organizations such as NPSN, Wisconsin Peer Alliance for Nurses (WisPAN), and National Association of Peer Support for Nurses (NAPSN). But for these organizations to continue helping nurses, they need to be known, shared, and supported.

Many of these organizations are primarily run by volunteers and are funded through private donations, state nurses’ associations, grants, and support from nonprofit healthcare organizations. If we believe nurses deserve compassion, recovery, and community, then we must also believe in sustaining the resources that make those things possible. Supporting organizations like NPSN is supporting nurses, patient safety, recovery, and hope. It is one tangible way we can tell every nurse who is struggling that you are not alone, you are not beyond help, and a community is ready to walk with you.

If you or someone you know is experiencing an SUD, support is available. You do not have to navigate it alone. Consider reaching out to one of the following confidential peer support, treatment, or crisis resources:

• Nurses Peer Support Network of Minnesota (NPSN)
• National Association of Peer Support for Nurses (NAPSN)
• SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

References

Arble, E., Manning, D., Arnetz, B. B., & Arnetz, J. E. (2023). Increased substance use among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(3), 2674. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032674

Brown, M. (2025, September 22). Substance use disorder: A gap in nursing education. American Nurse Journal. https://www.myamericannurse.com/substance-use-disorder-a-gap-in-nursing-education/

Cuccia, A. (2022, November 5). Nurses’ health in the wake of COVID-19. American Nurse Journal. https://www.myamericannurse.com/nurses-health-in-the-wake-of-covid-19/

Molloy, P. A. (2024). Nurses and nursing students with substance use disorders. Journal of Addictions Nursing, 35(1), 15–21. https://doi.org/10.1097/JAN.0000000000000562

New, L. L. (2023). How workplace challenges affect the risk of substance use disorders in a health care environment. Nursing Clinics of North America, 58(2), 183–195.

Strobbe, S., & Crowley, M. (2017). Substance use among nurses and nursing students: A joint position statement of the Emergency Nurses Association and the International Nurses Society on Addictions. Journal of Addictions Nursing, 28(2), 104–106. https://doi.org/10.1097/JAN.0000000000000150

Trinkoff, A. M., Zhou, Q., Storr, C. L., & Soeken, K. L. (2000). Workplace access, negative proscriptions, job strain, and substance use in registered nurses. Nursing Research, 49(2), 83–90. https://doi.org/10.1097/00006199-200003000-00004