Addiction from a Mother's Perspective
Darcy has been through a difficult journey as a mother trying to help her son with an addiction problem. Her story is one of a mother’s tough love, and the tenacious journey of hope, and how getting help from the Walker Center was a key to her son’s recovery!Darcy discovered how big the problem really had become when her son was arrested for a DUI while under the influence of prescription medication.
At first his addiction was of pain pills, which then turned to heroin, which led to self-medication of Xanax.Darcy moved him into her house so she could assist with getting him to counseling. In February of 2015, her son began attending treatment at The Walker Center along with outpatient treatment in Lewiston.
The road to recovery was not easy! Darcy’s son had completed his round of outpatient treatment and the night before a promising job interview, he relapsed for nearly two months, and even began using meth just because he could get a hold of it.“
How devastating to go into your child’s room and find them passed out, with a half a dozen needles on the bed and drugs spilled all over. It was like someone just punched me in the belly,” said Darcy, regarding her son’s relapse.
“Everyone has the perception that a heroin user is someone in an alley in New York City all grungy, hiding back there shooting up, but it’s not. It’s our kids, our parents, young people, old people, there’s no discriminating… anyone can become an addict.”Darcy wrestled with her own emotional struggles.
She took emergency vacations from work, and lost sleep due to the stress. “As a mother, we feel it’s our duty to fix our children’s problems, or fix our children, and we can’t do it.” Darcy said. She found support within the recovery community through resources like NarAnon,
Family Program at The Walker Center, and Facebook groups like The Addict’s Mom. One of the biggest helps was hearing other people’s stories and hearing that they were not alone.Her son was enrolled in inpatient treatment at The Walker Center again, because Darcy realized that there was only so much help she could give to him alone. Her son has now completed treatment and has been clean for the past 80 days and counting.
Darcy discovered that open communication lines were vital in her son’s path to recovery. She and her son aren’t afraid to talk about addiction and all the struggles that come along with it.
After the funeral of a friend who passed away from an overdose, he realized how much addictions affect the friends and family of an addict. By staying active in the recovery community, helping others and learning coping methods for stress, Darcy’s son has a bright outlook.Darcy’s advice for other parents who might be struggling with the same issues?
It’s Ok to struggle! Use tough love and don’t try to do it all alone. Get them help right away if you can, and most importantly - let them know that you’re there to help them.Darcy and her son’s story is real, raw, but also inspiring.
The stigma of addiction is strong, but going to a rehabilitation facility is a good first step in real recovery. Going twice is sometimes necessary, and it’s part of the journey of getting back up when you fall down.
Dealing with addiction is hard, but one thing Darcy always came back to was the truth – that you are not alone. There are plenty of people who struggle with addiction, and The Walker Center is here to help.
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