There are many programs in the community that can provide these services. Some of these services include; employee assistance programs (EAP), support groups, such as 12-step programs (Alcoholics Anonymous [AA] and Narcotics Anonymous [NA]) and peer support groups, inpatient treatment programs, outpatient treatment programs, individual counseling (Crowley, 2013). These programs are used to help nurses stop using destructive substances to integrate back into society in a healthy way and also to regain the ability to practice nursing. Combating substance abuse in nursing can incorporate all three levels of prevention; primary, secondary and tertiary. The primary level of prevention deals with; by providing information that prevents the introduction of exposures that cause disease or injury, modifying unhealthy or unsafe behaviors that can lead to disease or injury. In the case of substance abuse this would mean avoiding drugs altogether and seeking help if you feel the need to start using the drug.
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