Drug overdose, a cat, a good ending

Drug overdose, a cat, a good ending

A friend came into my sewing shop to tell me about Mr. Kitty. She and Boyfriend use drugs. He had fallen asleep on the couch and she went to bed. At some point during the early morning, Mr. Kitty jumped on the bed meowing and tried to dig her out of the covers. She yelled at him and pulled the covers over her head. He persisted, scratching her forehead. Throwing back the covers, she chased him down the hall and he jumped on Boyfriend’s head scratching his face and forehead. She shook Boyfriend and he felt cold. She called 911 and had Mr. Kitty not gotten her out of bed, Boyfriend would have died. As it is, it looks as if he will make a full recovery. She said she would rethink drug use.

I gave her a book that my son and I wrote about five years ago. It is “Don’t Stop the Love: For Mothers-and Others-Who Love an Addict” by Alice B. Davenport and James A. Oetting. It is available from Amazon for $10.95. It was written when I facilitated a support group for mothers of adult children with addiction problems. Some did not know where their “kids” were. Knowing the pain a mother goes through, I talked with them offering what I could. By that time, James had been in recovery for a few years. He was willing to relive those horrible times to be able to tell me what I needed to pass on to the mothers. We both knew he might go back into active addiction. We both took the chance and wrote the book. It is short (68 pages in large print) and to the point, he spoke honestly about how he felt during his active addiction.

James has been in recovery for over 10 years and talks to anyone who needs to talk about drugs or alcohol, and addiction and recovery.

Until next time,
Alice

Fatal drug overdose: Do you tell?

Fatal drug overdose: Do you tell?

My answer is simple, “yes.”

People often think of unsavory, dirty, long haired men in dark alleys doing drugs. There are many men and women of all ages who die of drug overdose from prescription drugs and/or a combination of both legal and illegal, often mixed with alcohol. Please remember, even the “unsavory” person was once a mother’s little boy.

Often, the first thought people have when a person dies with no reason given is; DRUG OVERDOSE. It becomes like walking around that “elephant in the living room.” Nobody knows what to say. They mumble and look away. We should not be ashamed of our loved one. We do not have to agree with how a person lives, but the love should always be there.

I told my son if he died of an overdose, I would tell the world. It might make one of his friends realize how fragile life is and lead to them getting into recovery. Thank God I did not have to do that.

Drug user companions often do not feel welcome at the funeral or memorial service, and unfortunately they are usually right. In their pain, loved ones often blame them for not doing something, not understanding that person had free will. It could have been any one of them. There are no easy answers when it comes to drug addiction and the pain that goes with it.

Share your experiences.
Until next time,
Alice