This letter is meant to encourage people who feel helpless in the face of a family member who is addicted.
My son survived heroin addiction 18 years ago. He was quite young and only used the drug for around two years, but they were a terrifying two years. During that time, I helped enroll him in a methadone program, a live-in program and other programs.
People around me were critical and told me no program would help him until he wanted to get better. I explained that my goal was to keep him alive until he decided he wanted to get better. He eventually decided he was tired of stealing and feeling sick all the time. He admitted that he had thought about suicide but knew that it would ruin my life forever and he didn’t want that. He enrolled in a local live-in program for the third time -- his idea, not mine.
Things worked out, and he has not gone back on opiates. He also quit drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes. My son thanks me for saving his life. He did all the work, though, and is now a wonderful father of a young boy and partner to his son’s mother. He is the oldest of three children, and everyone in my family is proud of him .
I know I was lucky. Plenty of parents with addicted children do everything right and their children still die. I hope my letter inspires the parents of addicts to not give up on their children. I know some addicts aren’t going to get better, and l would never criticize family members who gave up on someone after doing all the right things and seeing no results. Thank you. -- Blessed MomThank you for sharing this moving story.
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