For the past ten years Natalie has been a registered nurse at a large community hospital. As a nurse practitioner, she plainly knew what to tell her patients when it came to their health problems but in her personal life, however, she clearly didn’t practice what she preached. For example, she characteristically drank in an excessive and hazardous manner, she failed to exercise, she smoked almost two packs of cigarettes per day, and she was nearly forty-one pounds overweight.
Natalie Gets Into An Automobile Accident, Fails A Breathalyzer Test, and Goes to The Municipal Jail
One evening on her way to work, Natalie got into a car accident. Because the accident was her fault and since her speech was garbled when she talked, the arresting policewoman gave her a breath alcohol test known as a breathalyzer test. In accordance with standard law enforcement policy, when a person gets involved in a car accident and fails a breathalyzer test, the individual has to spend at least two hours in the county jail.
Natalie is Experiencing Quite a Bit of Shame About Her Traffic Accident
It almost goes without saying that Natalie was humiliated by her vehicle accident. In addition, Furthermore, she was feeling a lot of shame about the fact that she was at fault. And possibly worst of all, she was humiliated by the fact that she was driving after she ingested a few drinks. As Natalie thought about her circumstance, then again, she knew that it could have been worse because at work, when a alcohol blood test is administered and failed, the individual has to go to mandatory alcohol treatment and is placed on non-pay status. This was actually one of the alcohol facts that was a reality at her place of employment and not much could be expected to change this fact.
Natalie’s Humiliation About Her Automobile Accident Encourages Her To Reexamine Her Life and Make Some Significant and Healthy Alterations
At any rate, Natalie’s shame about her traffic accident helped persuade her to review her life and make some remarkable and healthy alterations. First, she was going to refrain from drinking in an irresponsible and hazardous manner. Second, she was going to stop smoking. Third, she was going to go on a strict weight-loss diet. And fourth, she was going to start exercising.
As upset as Natalie was about the entire vehicle accident situation, she used this upsetting experience as a catalyst for healthy change. Moreover, she used her negative experience as a real source of revelation that she had been overlooking her own health while she professionally told other people how to live a more healthy life. After all had been said and done, she eventually saw the pretense in her actions and came to a decision that she would live her life as a constructive source of hope for the patients at the hospital.
