“I was afraid to have friends over at my house because I didn’t know if she would be sober or not. When she was out, I lived in constant fear of her getting hurt, dying, or going back to jail. She was tired of fighting. I wanted to fight for her.”
‘She missed school events, birthdays. I longed for a mom I didn’t have to constantly worry about dying every day.’: Woman shares ‘heart-wrenching’ reality of growing up with an addict parent
‘I’m done helping you, brother. You had kids, and we all thought that would change you. I had no idea. It won’t be me. It won’t be me who funds your final hit.’
“When he would chase me around the apartment with a shotgun, I thought it was normal. When he confronted me about scabs and boils all over his body, I thought he needed to go to a clinic – maybe he had an STD?”
‘Miranda had not answered her phone or texts in 24 hours. Her door was unlocked, her TV was blaring and I felt this horrible spirit in her apartment.’: Mom loses her ‘baby girl’ to killed by fentanyl overdose
“She died alone is what we are supposed to think. She did this to herself. We are not to blame. After 3 months we finally have a reason for her death.”
‘We heard this loud, echoing bang above us in the bathroom. Thirty seconds later, this scream came from upstairs. I can still hear it to this day. There she was, on the bathroom floor.’
“My best friend entered before me. She begged me not to come in. I did anyways – I had to see for myself. All of her shoes were neatly lined up next to the foot of the bed. Her clothes were hung up, and her beauty products were organized.”
‘Their biological dad stopped coming around. I re-married, divorced, co-parented, and married the same man again.’: Woman escapes toxic relationship, marries new husband twice, ‘it was the happiest moment of our lives!’
“It was horrific. Todd and I decided to separately seek counseling. We were no longer in a relationship, but we knew that we had to be the best co-parents to the girls. That same year, we were engaged to be married on our original wedding anniversary…again.”
‘Where was I? Frantically driving around the streets of Detroit, trying to find you, with tears streaming down my face, fear in my stomach, yet determination in my heart.’
“I see the comment so often when it comes to addiction. ‘Where were the parents?’ That REALLY infuriates me. We feel judged, unsure of what to say.”
