Fans of Chicago Med may be worried if Hannah will break her sobriety, and the showrunner weighs in on her challenges!
Since joining Chicago Med in Season 5, Hannah Asher (Jessy Schram) has been a top face on the show. She came from a tough background as her mother died giving birth to her as she refused treatment for her illness. That drove Hannah to become a doctor herself.
What happened to Hannah in Chicago Med?
The pressures of her job took a toll on Hannah, and she turned to using heroin as a way to cope. She and Will Halstead had a relationship, but he didn’t like her drug use and resorted to planting drugs in her car to force Hannah into rehab. Even after that, it took a near-fatal overdose for Hannah to finally get herself help, which appeared to be the end of the character.
Schram made a surprise return in Season 7, now clean after two years in rehab. She was hired back on the job and has done well keeping herself clean despite temptation now and then. The last season had her entering a relationship with Mitch Ripley (Luke Mitchell).
However, Season 10 has put more pressure on Hannah. When Mitch was accused of beating a patient falsely suing the hospital, Hannah learned he was covering for a friend. She thus reported the friend, making Mitch angry.
The latest episode had Hannah trying to help a woman giving premature birth. While the baby lived, the woman died and the episode ended with Hannah overcome by emotion.
Could this trauma push Hannah back to her addictions?
Will Hannah fall back into addiction in Chicago Med?
Speaking to TVLine, Chicago Med showrunner Allen MacDonald noted the sad truth that there’s really no such thing as a “former” addict. While Hannah has long been clean, it takes just one falling off the wagon to ruin her progress.
“There’s that very common phrase that people know — ‘once you’re an addict, you’re always an addict and that will be something that will be addressed in the new season. Hannah had substance abuse issues in the past, and she is still struggling with those, mentally. That doesn’t necessarily mean she’s using, doesn’t necessarily mean she’s not. But it’s still an issue that she has to be constantly aware of when she’s managing the stress of her work and personal lives.”
Obviously, being around a hospital with scores of drugs at hand is a huge temptation for Hannah, although she’s managed to resist so far. She can have the occasional drink but is smart, knowing not to go overboard. However, the pressure with Mitch and losing that patient could push Hannah back to taking some drugs to cope.
Hannah has done her best to shake off that past, knowing how it nearly destroyed her before. One can hope she gets help from her friends, who can recognize the signs of her slipping and keep her from wrecking her life. However, the risk of Hannah and her addiction issues is forever there to make her struggles on Chicago Med more meaningful.
