Samantha McDaniel of Nashua overcame years of addiction and is now the admissions director at the Process Recovery Center. Courtesy photo/Process Recovery Center

NASHUA – After successfully completing the program at the Process Recovery Center, Samantha McDaniel came full circle and is now the organization’s admissions director.

Growing up in the Lakes Region community of Farmington, McDaniel was a 16-year-old with straight As. Then her father died unexpectedly in 2008.

Stricken with grief, McDaniel plummeted into the lonely, dark abyss of addiction. Alcohol and marijuana morphed into harder drugs, eventually escalating to fentanyl and methamphetamine.

Once a stellar student, McDaniel’s academic performance quickly went downhill.

“Once my dad passed, school got put on the back burner,” she said. “I didn’t know how to handle it.”

McDaniel graduated from Farmington High School in 2010; however, her addiction had begun to take its toll.

“I graduated by the skin of my teeth,” she said.

For 13 years, she climbed the sand dune of addiction. During that time, McDaniel overdosed 20 times, contracted Hepatitis C and was kicked out of numerous treatment programs.

“I lost my family and my kids, I started using heavily,” said McDaniel. “I didn’t care if I died.”

Selling drugs to fund her addiction ultimately caught up with her and McDaniel was sentenced to six months in the Strafford County House of Corrections. Upon arrival, she was required to go through the detoxification process to rid herself of drugs and alcohol.

“Detox, the last time, was really rough for me,” said McDaniel. “I detoxed from the illicit substances and from suboxone while incarcerated, I was violently ill and it lasted weeks.”

As part of her incarceration, McDaniel was required to complete the Therapeutic Community program.

“Therapeutic Community is a high-intensity drug treatment program for inmates,” she said. “The women who run the program and the program itself really laid the foundation for my recovery. I was forced to work on myself, I could not run from my problems, I couldn’t turn to drugs and alcohol.”

McDaniel also recalled the sagacious advice from one of the program directors: “Do not ever let anyone have your power, it’s time to stand on your feet.”

After completing the Therapeutic Community program, McDaniel was released to a halfway house.

“Community living was not always easy, but I had a different mindset,” she said. “I was done with all the drama, I wanted to be a different person.”

She also completed the U.S. District Court’s four-part LASER Docket Program.

“LASER has a lot of requirements, it’s not a program you can just skate by in,” said McDaniel. “I can say with full confidence that I put my best foot forward. I had spent a long time showing the government how I was as an addict, now it was time to show them how I was as a recovering addict.”

Within one year, McDaniel finished LASER with “flying colors” and her felonies were reduced to misdemeanors.

On March 27, 2022, McDaniel officially opened the door to the rest of her life, deciding to never use drugs or alcohol again.

“That’s when I called Process and was accepted into the program, that’s how I found Nashua,” she said, adding that there was something different about the Gate City — something special that other communities could not offer.

McDaniel spent nine months at the Process Recovery Center and Rise Above Sober Living.

“Process allowed me to work on my recovery while also being a positive member of society and building my relationship back with my kids,” she said. “Process held me accountable, provided me a safe, sober home and relationships with women who have paved the way for other women who are just starting in recovery.”

McDaniel also utilized the services of the Front Door Agency and its Transformational Housing Program.

“They helped me get my kids back,” she said.

In 2023, McDaniel regained custody of her children, Brightan and Tennison, for the first time in two years.

“Getting my kids back was always my goal. Getting them back on my own, without my family’s help and being able to provide a safe, stable home that no one could take away from us was huge,” said McDaniel. “Getting them back was a huge transition not only for them, but for me as well but I wouldn’t trade a second of it for anything in this world.”

Having moved around numerous times, McDaniel’s son, Brightan, was leery about adjusting to another community.

“I was so happy to live with my mom again, but was not excited to move to Nashua,” he said.

Her daughter, Tennison, said she was “so happy” and told her mother: “I knew I was safe with you and you love me.”

With the help of Front Door, McDaniel was able to purchase her first home last summer, something she never thought was possible.

McDaniel then went on to become a certified recovery support worker and began working at the Nashua Respite as a recovery support specialist.

“It’s crazy that that was my first job, in recovery,” she said. “The Respite closed recently but Process was able to work with the state and get one open in less than a week for our community.”

Also in 2023, McDaniel returned to Process, but not as a client. This time, she was hired as a behavioral health technician and was ultimately promoted to admissions director.

“The transition from client to staff was strange at first,” she said. “I relied a lot on my supervising officer to guide me professionally. She also helped me gain the confidence I have now as a businesswoman, reminding me that I can do anything I set my mind to.”

She is currently pursuing her Associate’s degree at Nashua Community College and expects to graduate in August 2026.

Although there have been significant improvements over the years, McDaniel said the opioid epidemic remains “very present and is not going anywhere.”

“I am grateful to no longer be a part of the problem and part of the solution, especially for this community,” she said.

Looking ahead, McDaniel said Process continues to change to accommodate the unique needs of each client who comes through the door of 21 Factory St.

“I’ve been able to work beside some of the most incredible, dedicated people who are just as passionate as I am about recovery,” she said.

In September, Process opened the city’s first 14-bed detox center on Kinsley Street. The organization is also planning to open a second 14-bed detox facility in March 2026.

“There is always more that can be done about the opioid epidemic, but we are doing our best to help change things for addicts, especially in Nashua,” she said.