So week two of Coronavirus Lock Down……weird. Not being able to do what we normally do puts pressure on everyone, young and old. I’m lucky because I’ve got a lovely garden and I live with my husband so I don’t feel so alone. My mum, however, is 87, lives alone and has...

A friend recently mentioned that it can be very isolating when someone in your family is an addict. Our situations are similar so when she mentioned how hard telling people - or even keeping it from them - is, I immediately understood. Living through a loved one’s...

Rock bottom is one of those concepts that always seems to come up when people are talking about drug addiction. Rock bottom, the point when an addict just can’t do it any more, the turning point of a hopeless life. For those of us who love an addict, the idea that he...

A happy, healthy, peaceful 2020 to all! The New Year arrives with new hopes, never more true than when you love an addict. Maybe this year they’ll see the light, kick the habit, become normal and allow you to feel normal again too. Although I’ve got the smallest...

It’s that time of year again. You know, the season of celebration, shopping, partying, caring and giving. It’s a time full of anticipation and excitement when family and friends gather together to eat, drink and be generally merry. But. There are two sides to every...

​The last few weeks have been quietly sad for me after learning of the deaths of four addicts, either known to me or to friends of mine. My drug-addicted son knew two of them well. He worked with one and rented a sofa for many months in the other’s flat. All four were...

I’ve been reading about MPs who want to legalise drug use, to focus more on help for addicts. Something definitely needs to change because drug deaths are rising: there were 2,670 in England alone last year. This statistic is scary for those of us who love an addict....

Autumn has arrived and leaves are falling. In essence I love this time of year, especially when we’ve had some decent summer weather. I feel respite in the cooler temperatures and darker evenings. Being at home, reading, watching TV and cooking tasty hot food is so...

Something I read this week got me thinking about the relationship between addiction and homelessness. According to Crisis, about 66% of people they deal with say their addiction was actually the cause of their homelessness. This is true for my son Ryan. He was at home...

In my first blog I talked about where things began to go wrong for Ryan, my homeless drug addicted son. I do believe that his problems are firmly rooted in childhood with the absence of his father but I don’t think all of his adult behaviours can be blamed on that. I...