A patient tells the nurse that he gets off cocaine for a while and then in a few months finds himself "hanging out in the same places" where he knows he can easily get drugs. How should the nurse respond?

Question

1. "This will happen for the rest of your life. There isn't anything you can do to change it."
2. "This is drug-seeking behavior and is a response to a craving. What can you do instead of going to the places where you can get drugs?"
3. "This is because you are an addict and need the drugs."
4. "Have you considered using a less addictive type of drug instead of the kind you used to use?"

Answer 1

2
Rationale 1: The nurse has no way of knowing if this behavior will continue for the rest of the patient's life. The patient can learn coping mechanisms to replace the drug-seeking behavior.
Rationale 2: The patient is describing drug-seeking behavior. The nurse should suggest ways to cope with the craving by asking what the patient can do instead of going to the places where he knows he can get drugs.
Rationale 3: The nurse should not confront the patient this way.
Rationale 4: The nurse should not suggest that the patient replace one addictive drug with another.