“They put a brick through my front window over €6,000 my son owed. I'm a retired school secretary.”
This isn't my addiction. It's my son's. But it's been my life for nine years.
Cocaine first, then tablets, then I don't even know. The worst night was the brick through the window. A note wrapped around it with a number. €6,000. I'm a retired school secretary. I didn't know people actually did that.
I rang the Family Addiction Support Network and a woman on the phone talked me through drug debt intimidation, what the Gardaí can and can't do, what I could do to keep myself safe. For the first time I didn't feel like a mad woman.
My son is in and out of treatment. Right now he's in. I've learned I can love him without paying his debts. I've learned I'm allowed to have a life. I go to a support group on a Thursday and it's the best two hours of my week.
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