IRONY –
Jan. 22, 2026 – Courtney Robinson credits Greg Gardner, a peer recovery coach with the Georgia Council for Recovery, with helping her decide to get treatment for her alcohol addiction despite her fears about losing her nursing license. Healthbeat spoke to five nurses who have experienced addiction and to representatives of recovery organizations. They described how Georgia’s disciplinary system deterred them from seeking early treatment for fear of losing their licenses and their jobs.
That’s because to get or renew a license, nurses must report treatment for alcohol or substance abuse within the past five years on the application. The acknowledgement triggers a lengthy, public, and costly disciplinary process.
Courtney Robinson, who works at Northeast Georgia Health System, fought an alcohol addiction for years. She wanted to get treatment but worried that doing so would result in losing her license. When she finally got sober, she answered the question honestly during her license renewal, acknowledging a past addiction and stint in rehab.
That started a process of establishing a consent order with the state nursing board. Consent orders are posted in a spreadsheet and in a searchable database on the Board of Nursing’s website, allowing anyone to look up disciplinary actions for a particular nurse.
Robinson’s order requires that she participate in weekly support groups as well as regular and random drug screening for five years. It also requires quarterly reports from employers to the nursing board and restricts Robinson from working in some roles, including assignments through a nursing agency and in-home nursing.
