Back Up From Hitting Bottom: Becoming a Nurse Again

In 2020, Sam Mees was an addict, leading police on a high-speed car chase. That escapade would result in felony charges and the loss of her nursing license.

Mees, who started abusing drugs at the age of 12, is now clean and sober. What’s more, she’s working once again as a detox nurse, helping others who are in the same straits she once was. Every day, she may need to take a drug test, but that’s OK. It’s all part of working her way back up from rock bottom.

She counts that police chase, the subsequent arrest, and the loss of her license as hitting bottom. The incident forced her to confront not just her substance abuse, but the underlying mental health conditions that underpinned it.

Struggling with the loss, or potential loss, of your nursing license or other professional license? Contact the Professional License Defense Team at the LLF National Law Firm by filling out this online form or by calling 888-535-3686.

The Dual Diagnosis Connection

What makes Mees’ journey particularly compelling is how she discovered that treating her PTSD, anxiety, and depression was absolutely critical to her recovery. She’s brutally honest about it, saying, “I can’t tell you whether I’d be clean without it. I don’t know if I’d be clean.”

Her story illustrates a truism that is still not widely understood: you can’t successfully treat addiction without addressing the mental health conditions that are often at its heart. Addiction that goes hand-in-hand with a mental illness is termed “dual diagnosis,” and especially for individuals who have been self-medicating with alcohol or drugs for years, it can be difficult to treat. It’s necessary to explore not just the addiction but its root causes, which often date back to the person’s youth.

For Sam Mees, a diagnosis of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, along with an effective combination of medication, has been key to getting and staying sober.

“If I don’t take my mental health meds, I don’t have recovery. That’s how important it is for me,” she says.

The Path to Professional License Restoration

The connection between addiction and mental illness has profound legal implications for licensed professionals facing disciplinary action. Mees’s successful return to the nursing profession involved several critical components that other professionals in similar situations can learn from:

• Comprehensive Treatment. Addressing both addiction and underlying mental health conditions simultaneously, rather than treating them as separate issues.
• Consistent Monitoring. Daily drug screening requirements and regular check-ins with mental health professionals can demonstrate an individual’s commitment to recovery. These also provide accountability structures that can be invaluable when it comes to licensing boards.
• Strong Support Systems. Family involvement and professional support networks can make the difference between temporary sobriety and sustainable recovery.
• Ongoing Maintenance. It’s important to understand that recovery is an ongoing process, and that it requires not only a daily commitment but also lifestyle planning in order to accommodate treatment requirements.

Experienced Professional License Defense That Can Help

If your nursing license or other professional license is at risk, whether because of issues related to addiction or any other reason, you need an experienced team that can assist you with license defense. You need the dedicated Professional License Defense Team at the LLF National Law Firm. Call us today at 888-535-3686 or send us a message here.