I think this is so important. When my late son was struggling with opioid issues and mental health (before his overdose death Dec 23 2001)... I felt like I was on my own trying to keep my son alive. It seemed that most of "my friends/family" could not step out from their own bias and judgement regarding addiction. There only support was framed around:
- Kick him out of the house
- Let him hit bottom
- Do tough love
And when I tried to voice my very real concerns that Pete would die and that I did not want to abandon him; that I was trying to find constructive ways to help him they abandoned me. They were frustrated with me because I saw it as a health issue. They felt it was a moral failing.
And then the echelon of shame, blame. The judgement.
- That Pete chose this path.
- That he "just needed to quit"
- That he had no self control
- That he did not really care about me if he "chose opioids and alcohol" over his mother
And then the judgement for society.
- That bad parenting is the root cause of children's addiction issues
Pete died of an accidental opioid overdose. And still relatively little support. At Pete's funeral someone actually said to me.."things will be better for you now!!!!"
So yes. Please take time to make that call!!
