Skewer the Stigma: In the wake of losing a star, an addict shares “who we are:” The message for all of us
One in four children is affected by the family disease of addiction/alcoholism. We know these kids. They are in our classrooms. Their parents may pick them up “a little late” from child care. They may come to parent conferences with a faint whiff of last night’s binge on their breaths. They may be the ones who always forget to sign the field trip form. Or not. They may be the ones you’d never suspect, until you read in the paper that they just got their 4th DUI and are headed for jail.
And:, to be honest….isn’t it hard not to judge them? To wonder how ANYONE could choose alcohol or drugs over their children? As the author of the blog I’ve shared below says: “We love our children fiercely. Yes, we would change “For the sake of the children” if only we could.”
Have a read and a think as you read some reflections about substance use disorder from the perspective of a parent in recovery, following the unexpected death of Phillip Seymour Hoffman. We can only support the children we work with by supporting their families. And one of the best ways to support a family suffering from this wretched disease is to bring it out of the shadows, and out of the shame.
