A Mother's Journey with her Daughters Addiction
A Mother's Journey with her Daughters Addiction
During my daughter’s 7-year battle with addiction, many people suggested that I seek help for myself. That this was too much for me to handle alone. “Katie, you should really go to a support group, or talk to a therapist”. At first, I really resisted. Are you kidding me? Who has time for that!! “She’s the one with the problem, …
When my daughter Brittany suffered her seizures, she was in the hospital for 5 days. 5 excruciating long days. I couldn’t sleep, for fear she would have another seizure. I had moved the hospital chair around so I could directly face her, my body jumping in fear every time her eyes fluttered. At the time, my husband John and I …
I remember when I was 15 years old and my Grandfather passed away of cancer. Friends and family brought over casseroles, pies, and lasagnas. Warm cookies left on the porch and neighborly visits of talks and coffee. My mom needed that support. She was able to work through some of her grief without having to worry about making dinners and …
When the doctor prescribed Brittany Xanax, I didn’t know. She lived in Seattle and I think she was afraid to tell me, to be honest. She knew how I would react. Yet, the Xanax did help her. I thought he had prescribed her other anxiety medications and I was so relieved that she seemed to be coming out of her …
At the age of 19, Brittany was now almost 2 years into her heroin addiction, homeless and back living in a drug house in Detroit. I lived in fear every single moment. Days would go by and I wouldn’t hear from her. I found myself driving all over, trying to find her, not knowing if she was dead or alive. …
Fighting with insurance companies is a very frustrating process. When the treatment center couldn’t keep her longer than 3 days, I was absolutely panic stricken. I was on the phone with insurance for HOURS, begging them to approve her for a longer stay. Since she didn’t have a history on file of substance abuse, they felt outpatient therapy was what …
I am sooo type A. I like to have things planned out, organized, t’s crossed and I’s dotted. I’m a “by the rules” kinda girl. Going outside of the rules, made me very nervous and extremely uncomfortable. At a previous job years ago, I traveled internationally quite often. I made sure that the grocery shopping was done, outfits planned for …
We were that “normal” family. Husband, wife, 2 kids and a dog. Upper middle class, my husband worked in IT and I was a marketing professional. We both worked very hard to provide everything we could for our family. We were super involved parents, my husband coaching our oldest Brittany’s basketball team and I taught her catechism class when she …