Birthdays

Today my son turned 33. Age is just a number but also a barometer of how long he’s been struggling with addiction. 15 years, a very very long time. Within those years we’ve gone without knowing where he was, taking him to numerous rehabs, meeting with numerous counselors, setting up sober living houses, receiving phone

Please Don’t Judge Me

I feel as though I’m very lucky right now. It didn’t always feel this way. Those close to me just didn’t understand addiction, well really neither did I. But I was thrust into learning and learning quickly all I could about the subject. I read whatever I could find and learned so much. I felt

Overdose Awareness Day

Make a Difference on International Overdose Awareness Day Of the 61,311 preventable drug overdoses in the country in 2017, more than 43,000 involved opioids. International Overdose Awareness Day is a global event held Aug. 31 each year to remember those gone too soon from overdose deaths. What can you do? Hold a candlelight vigil Offer

911 Emergency

In the past 3 weeks I have come close to losing both my son and my husband. I’ve written about my son’s overdose 3 weeks ago. It has been scary, heartbreaking and uncomfortable. I do not know what I would do if I had lost him. But last night after babysitting our granddaughters, we were

Living on the Edge

And so we wait. A court date has been set in early November for a revocation hearing. That does not stop the county from putting out a warrant at any time before then. It’s really hard on me but I cannot imagine what it’s like for him. Every time you hear a siren the police

After the Overdose

I am so thankful that my son survived his overdose. We all know that seconds matter in these cases. So someone was watching out for him on Sunday night. I also want to extend my appreciation to everyone that has reached out to me, it is truly appreciated. The scary thing is that he is

My Son Overdosed

I don’t even know where to begin. I was so confident, so happy, my heart was whole when my son was out of jail and was able to be part of my birthday. I couldn’t believe the sense of peace I felt, the inner joy of seeing him and hugging him. He saw his son

Avoiding Relapse

Avoiding relapse isn’t easy. It takes a lot of work and determination. You need to believe in yourself and know that you are worth it! Recovery can be the pot of Gold at the end of the Rainbow. Along the way you will hit a lot of bumps. How you negotiate the path you are

Medical Marijuana Study Yields Shocking Results

Today I read an interesting article about a study performed by Stanford University School of Medicine concerning the affects of states that have passed medical marijuana laws and how it has changed the amount of overdoses. Here is the article – Opioid Overdose Deaths Not Prevented By Medical Marijuana Laws, Research Suggests The Washington Post

Recovery to Relapse

Rough spots come up no matter how far along you are in your recovery. You can never let your guard down. Too much stress and pressure can cause a relapse unless you have the proper coping skills to deal with it. Keep going to counseling, there is a very good reason for it, talk to

Sibling Day

National Sibling day was last week in the United States. It’s a day where everyone sends their siblings sweet messages to remind them why they are lucky to have them as a sister or brother. It’s a nice sentiment, a little like Mother’s day or Father’s Day but without gift exchanges. Just like Mother and

Dreams Can Change

It’s hard to give up on your dreams. I am trying to come to grips with this right now. My husband and I have always dreamed of moving to New Orleans area. 6 years ago I purchased a piece of property to start inching towards our goal. At that point in time we had 1

Recovery Takes a Team

The NFL playoffs have started. I don’t know who you’re rooting for. Some people stick with their hometown team, others pick according to their favorite colors and some because their parents are staunch fans. But we all have a favorite no matter how we got to that choice. I happen to cheer for 2 teams,

Stress of the Holidays

Holidays can be joyful but they can also be stressful. Stress causes a lot of things. As the mother of an addict the stress I worry about is the stress on my son. He has been in recovery for over a year but the holidays bring with them a great amount of temptation along with