Drugs in Shetland

[EM]

Tis a hyprerthetical thing there.

 

I dont think it is something to boast about, you could then make folks think...

 

The same with drink.....

 

Some of the trades you quote, deal with folks lives and folks do deserve to think that they are in safe hands...

 

The effects of alcohol and drug taking do have serious issues in the work place..

 

You don't know yet, the damage that can be done to some folks, physically and mentaly..

 

So, tis folly to say they do little or no harm...

 

And, you have just dropped your mates in it too...

I'm more than a bit curious as to why you continually use this bizarre writing style? I mean, what on earth is the point of all the ellipses, and why do you limit each paragraph to single sentences? Personally I find it quite tiresome to wade through. Do you have a reason for it or is it just an affectation like the "tis"?

[paulb]

of course it is. but there is a difference in relationship to the use of drugs and drink in relation to being a doctor/nurse. its not my view its the professional bodies view. and being falling down drunk in public brings the profession into disrepute and could end up with them facing a hearing.

 

drugs for medical staff is a big no no. drink is a big problem with a number of people and needs dealing with occupational health. normal social drinking is of course different.

[Ghostrider]

but a doctor/nurse who gets that drunk needs help.

 

Off duty??

 

Sorry, but what anyone does in their own time is their own business as far as I'm concerned. Certainly when off duty activities encroach upon their ability to perform their job while they're on it, that's a whole other can of worms, but so long as someone turns up on time and is compis mentis enough to fulfill the terms of their contract of employment, I don't see any employer has any right to interfere in how they choose to spend the rest of their time.

 

How far would you take this? If a bus or taxi driver was of the habit of getting slaughtered in their free time, would you have their licences taken off them? Teachers, should they be banned from being in charge of 30 or however many five year kids if they are known for drinking themselves under the table out of hours? Etc, etc, the list is endless.

 

If a doctor or nurse has to be carried home on a Saturday night, and doesn't have to treat patients before Monday morning, I don't see how that differs from a teacher or professional driver doing exactly the same thing. Replace being carried home because of alcohol ingestion with being carried home because of smoking cannabis or any other substance you care to mention, and whats the difference. They won't be any more under the influence of whatever it is they took come Monday morning than the person who took alcohol.

 

Yes, I know alcohol is "legal", while the others are "illegal", but what difference does that make, when the legislation that makes it such is not based on evidence and facts, but scaremongering PR and hype.

[trout]

Please find the following presented anonymously to Shetlink.

 

People are very happy to condemn without any knowledge of these horrible addictions and how easy it is to walk into the traps.

 

"I walked down the stairs last September and suddenly could not take another step without screaming agony down my right leg. I managed to get to an reclining chair whereupon I realised I could not sit, walk or move without excrutiating pain. My gp arrived the next day, did a few neurological tests, and put me on morphine, valium, diyhydrocodeine, diclofenac and paracetemol.

 

In January, I was admitted to Woodend Hospital and had emergency surgery to my back whilst still on my cocktail of painkillers.

 

By March, I decided I should start coming off the morphine as my surgeon recommended that I did and my GP said she did not want me to be on this medicine for much longer. I tried to just stop but it was like hitting a brick wall running and it did not take much to realise that my body was addicted to this opiate medicine. I had no idea how this had happened. Morphine had been my saviour for the last 6 months, it was the reason I could walk and lead an almost normal life.

 

So, I gave up. Believe me, it was very difficult. I ended up with the liquid version, dropping 1ml every week for six weeks, and living in a caravan, sleeping when I could and getting up every 2 hours in the night to walk around a cold field to check our livestock.

 

In September, I decided to give up the valium and dihydrocodeine. It wasn't long before I realised my body was addicted to these too, so back down the liquid route, down 1ml every 4 days, taking the dogs for a walk in a t-shirt for the hot sweats and feeling permanently sick.

 

It is not easy. I have not finished. I feel like I have signed up for flu for as long as it takes and the side-effects are horrible but I am a control freak and I will do whatever I must to take back control of my body. My mind would love to go back. I could take the morphine tomorrow. I am allowed to. I have a letter from my GP permitting me to travel with it through any airport but I just can't. I just can't let myself give in and go back.

 

So..... where does this leave us? My story is horrible. I never realised. I never had myself down as a legit morphine addict but I was, possibly am, as I love the stuff. It answered all my prayers. The valium and dihydrocodeine addiction is a surprise. I didn't see what damage they could do as well. I have set aside the next 8 weeks or so to come off this. Whatever it takes so that I can take back my life.

 

Back pain - yup, I still have it but I want to see just how I can control it on non-addictive drugs.

 

Professional help? Absolutely none, just the unlimited support from my family and friends. I do what I can. I push it occasionally but at the end of the day, the only person who can give up these drugs, whether my body wants to or not, is myself and my head. My gp has not talked to me since February and would write out prescriptions for anything I want. I find that exceptionally sad but I want to say that I did this on my own, without any help from anyone else because there was absolutely none and I did not know where to go for help.

 

When you condemn people for taking these drugs, you don't realise just how easily one's body accepts this situation and just how hard it is to come off.

 

Wish me luck. It is not finished yet and probably will never be but if you are bloody minded like me, then at least I have a chance.

 

Do I drive? Not at the moment. Do I go out? Not really. Do I sleep? Wierd hours - from 2am to 10am sometimes. Have I stopped feeling sick - no. My life is not what it was 2 years ago and I had absolutely no choice at all."

[paulb]

ghostrider this is the professional bodies rules they agree to it in there code of conduct. if they have a drink/drug issue they need to get it sorted. arguing that its less harmful than this or that is a separate issue. if a bus driver needed to get smashed every weekend to cope then yes they should resolve their issues or stop driving a bus. my daughter witnessed a teacher being removed from school by the police for being drunk. personally if they are very heavy drinkers then i don't want them in charge of my kids. would you want your kids on the bus or being treated by an alcoholic person. they may well function well but it won't remain that way.

 

I'm not condemning drug users i was saying that there addiction is theirs. there may well be factors that cause it but they chose to do it and they are the only ones that can choose to stop.

[unlinkedstudent]

The most almighty hiss ups I attended when living down sarf were the 999 balls. I was temping at Barts & The Royal London and got tickets. Well, the cocktail of fireman, coppers, ambulance staff with all those medical staff made the nurses' nights out in Angels look tame. Likewise, the birthday party booze ups at BTP were as wild, despite a no alcohol must be consumed for X hours before work blah rule.

 

Granted, 999 balls are only held a few times a year but I reckon the sales of alka seltzer must go up three fold on the mornings after them.

 

If you were to sack every person drunk attending such functions, you'd never have any emergency services.

[paulb]

were talking about an alcohol/drug abuse, big difference to a one off party. if you turn up drunk or badly hung over then you will get sent home and you will get referred to occ health. if its an on going issue you will not be working.

 

you really can't be functioning at less than optimum on a ward. would you drive after a heavy party. the majority of staff will not work until they are sure that they are safe. those that do come in are not popular with the other staff and will be dealt with under the boards rules. if you type with a hangover you get a messed up typing job do that while treating a critically ill person then its a tadge worse.

 

anyway ive taken you off topic back to subject.

[EM]

The most almighty hiss ups I attended when living down sarf were the 999 balls. I was temping at Barts & The Royal London and got tickets. Well, the cocktail of fireman, coppers, ambulance staff with all those medical staff made the nurses' nights out in Angels look tame. Likewise, the birthday party booze ups at BTP were as wild, despite a no alcohol must be consumed for X hours before work blah rule.

My midder worked for some time as a chef at the University of Edinburgh's Teviot Row union. She also said that nothing came close to the medics in terms of alcohol consumption and general partying. The day after one of the medic balls she found all of a girl's clothes, including shoes and underwear, in one of the kitchen ovens.

 

Some interesting statistics here (despite being a religious site).

 

Having been aware for some time of the high incidence of alcoholic doctors, I've tended to feel somewhat prejudiced in favour of being treated by non-white doctors. This purely on the basis that they have a higher probability of being muslim, and therefore a higher chance of being TT.

[shetlandpeat]

but a doctor/nurse who gets that drunk needs help.

 

Off duty??

 

Sorry, but what anyone does in their own time is their own business as far as I'm concerned. Certainly when off duty activities encroach upon their ability to perform their job while they're on it, that's a whole other can of worms, but so long as someone turns up on time and is compis mentis enough to fulfill the terms of their contract of employment, I don't see any employer has any right to interfere in how they choose to spend the rest of their time.

.

 

Dodgy one that...

 

Tis a way of saying " take heroin but dont get caught"

 

I do agree that folks shouls hav a private life but if it become a part of their professional life then it needs to bee looked at.

 

We have rules in ous system that prohibitst the use of certain substances for recreational use..

 

I think if you sign up as a person who is meant to save life, and ehance it, ie increase longevity then the last thing they need is to be caught taking drugs not given to them by a doctor..

 

It tis the one thin myself and sheepshagger(RIP ) had in common.

 

I think to be able to turn up for work cos u took loasd of uppers is not really a good thing. To turn up at work ablle to do your work would increse life expectancy further.

[Ghostrider]

I think to be able to turn up for work cos u took loasd of uppers is not really a good thing.

 

Someone turning up for work tanked on uppers is no more fit to do their job IMHO that someone turning up and having to hold themselves up by the furniture because they're so pissed, is capable of doing their's.

 

By "compis mentis enough to fulfill the terms of their contract of employment", I meant not under the influence of any substance.

[shetlandpeat]

My contract, as a public servant means I cn be dismissed if I ent up in court for anything, there have been folk dismissed for being caught wi ileadal substances

 

I do agree with your posts here , I want a carpenter and an electrician who will get on with their work, and safely..

 

Sorry was not havin a direct go at ureself, please don't take it as such..

 

maybe a wee bit of clarification/...

 

 

Fun is fun , private is private, it has to remain such....

[KOYAANISQATSI]

Tis a way of saying

folks shouls hav

needs to bee looked at

rules in ous

and ehance it

tis the one thin myself

cos u took loasd

ablle to do your work

increse

 

Oh come on now, saying Tis instead of it's may have been funny the first hundred times but it's a bit worn now; can we at least have the wordfilter used to help us with petes posts, by changing "tis" back to "it's" for the rest of us to read. I keep half expecting "hey nonny nonny" to start popping up in his posts.

 

As for the rest of it; If it's just a spelling slip then no offence meant but if this is just another little flair you've come up with to amuse and confuse, then at least calm it down a bit cause it's just painful to have to pick through, decoding the garbage as you go.

[KOYAANISQATSI]

if I ent up in court

wi ileadal

at ureself

 

maybe a wee bit of clarification/...

[shetlandpeat]

ooops it is pick on peat time

 

It seems the mixture of external influences and an ability not to see words right is becoming my downfall..

Woe is me. So, it is all my own though. Very happy with that.

I am sure it is legeble, but for me typing in this concise maner can take away a little part of my flair. I do very much enjoy the banter, it is the best part of a debate, i think.

 

Now that was boring, sorry.

[KOYAANISQATSI]

Ach pay no heed; I haven't been taking my self medication lately and tend to be cranky with other folks foibles when I'm stuck on ground zero.

 

Not an after effect of not having; it's just my natural state when the air is clear, so I mostly prefer using for the benefit of others around me as much as my own personal enjoyment.

 

Do what thou tis wilt and all that.