Following on from the thread about nurses taking a look at the charts or indeed the actual person of George Clooney and other famous people, I wonder what personal values you as nurses think are important and at times might be hard to stick to (or not as the case may be).

For myself, I deeply want not to judge other people, I think as a nurse it is important to recognise the individual choices of others, but sometimes it is difficult not to let the horror / amusement / revulsion of what you discover or see show on your face or in the tone of your voice. You do get better at it (I think) but it can be hard.

:curtsey:

It's VERY hard for me to remain nonjudgmental when detoxing alcoholics. Oftentimes they're mean and spit and yell at you, and I get very irritated at having to take care of them.

I try not to let it show, but I'm sure it comes through somehow. I only take a detox patient if there is absolutely no other assignment.

Detox patients, whether from drugs or alcohol, are most definitely one of the harder patients to take care of. Mostly you know they will survive to drink or do drugs another day. Yes, they can be, and usually are very beligerant and rude. They have no restraint on their tongue and have loads of threats they like to hurl at you. They are not the sickest patients, but do take a lot of time.

Mostly, I feel sorry for them. What a life to be dependant on something that controls you instead of you being able to control it. I find alcoholism and drug abuse not very different from the abuse of food. Each has with it it's own set of issues. I'm a food abuser. I just thank God that I like to be in control of my senses and don't like the taste of alcohol or the feeling that drugs can give you. If I liked the feeling, perhaps I'd abuse those substances too.

Just try to remember, and I know at times it's hard, that everyone has vices....some are seen and some are not seen.