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A mothers Story 1
As a mother of a drug addicted son. My life was a nightmare, my husband had passed away and now I was having my own flesh and blood stealing off me to feed his addiction. I got to a point where I couldn’t cope anymore and had my son arrested in the hope that someone would listen.
I tried to get him into rehab but to no avail as places are few unless you pay privately, which is not possible on a state pension. Finally I heard about a group called Parents In Need of Support, I was referred to them and a gentleman visited my home. Their care and understanding give me the renewed strength to carry on with my life and continue in the fight to help my son. Parents In Need of Support have been great in helping me and also going that bit further to help my son and try to persuade him to access treatment. Unfortunately my son is not at the place were he is ready to accept help and start recovery which is sad but I know its not my fault and also it really doesn’t matter what I do because unless he is ready all that will happen is broken promises and heartbreak for me. So with the help of Parents In Need of Support I now have more of an understanding of my sons problem and why he did some of the things he did. Tough love was the only answer and my son now lives away from me which was very hard to do but in a strange way I think I was holding up my son to reach the point where he will inevitably reach i.e. prison or something that will make him stop and think. After all he is not a child, he is in his late forties but as I now understand it is his decision and his alone.
Without the continued support of Parents In Need of Support who are always there day and night to listen and advise I honestly do not know how I would cope. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to Parents In Need of Support; their understanding of the family of addicts is second to none. I can only say that if you are experiencing similar problems please give them a call and I can a sure you that you will not be disappointed.
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A mothers Story 2
Having discovered that my son had not only experimenting with drugs but his usage was now out of control I was put in touch with Parents In Need of
Support. A meeting was established very quickly,Parents In Need of Support are very flexible with working hours and meeting places to accommodate what is best for the client in order for them to feel as comfortable as possible.
I decided that I would go to the Parents In Need of
Support office and was pleased that it was not a problem for my sister to attend with me. By the time I found
Parents In Need of Support I was at such a low point as I had lost my home as a result of the debt my sons drug use had put me in. I was relieved when I was offered counselling and I began attending religiously each week. It was such a relief for me to sit and literally sob for the whole session with nothing but respect, understanding, comfort and guidance being given by the counsellor.
As time progressed I was able through the help of
Parents In Need of Support to begin to understand a lot more about my sons addiction and how I might be able to deal with some of the issues involved better than I had been able too in the past.
As well as helping me Parents In Need of Support were able to convince my son to access treatment and finally start on his own journey of recovery.
Finally Parents In Need of Support were able to assist with my housing issues and I now have a lovely little bungalow which I call my “Safe House”. My son is now making great progress in his treatment and has been successful on a methadone program for the past year.
I cannot thank Parents In Need of Support enough for all the help and support they have given me and my family.
Thank You.
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A Mothers Story 3
Four years ago I contacted PINS as I had spent about 18 months living in fear that one day my Daughter would be found dead. I had no knowledge of drugs and certainly did not know how to deal with the situation my daughter had put me in. During this time I found myself suffering from depression, isolating myself as I felt neighbours would often look at me in a very judgmental way and the thought of having to explain my situation to anyone was simply something I could not contemplate.
Whilst visiting my G.P. (for another prescription for anti-depressants) he informed me of a local group that provided support. I, probably like most thought what they could possibly do to help me, but one day when the situation got to a point that I felt so much despair I picked up the phone and spoke to a support worker and suddenly I felt I was no longer alone and a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Over the next 6 month I was educated in drugs and their effects, treatments that were available and most of all someone who would be there for me day or night to listen to my worries and concerns. I found that I no longer needed to take anti-depressants, I understood what my daughter was facing in her battle to fight her addiction and that helped me to be able help her and thankfully she is now free of drugs, (though she still battles to fight temptation) and our relationship is as it was before her addiction.
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A Fathers Story
My relationship with my son (a heroin user) had deteriorated so much that I was now on the sick from work and under the doctor for severve depression. Luckily my G.P. gave me a leaflet from Parents In Need of Support and suggested I called them. I thought why not, as I have nothing to loose and everything to gain if they could give me any help. I was so glad that I made that decision, I phoned and made an appointment to go to the offices (even though they were prepared to come and meet me anywhere) a couple of days later. When I arrived I must admit that I was quite distressed but the support I recieved was first class and I felt at ease almost immediately. Parents In Need of Support was able to put things into perspective and dismiss alot of fears I had due to being given incorrect information by people and the gutter press. I felt relaxed enough to sound off my anger and frustration over the weeks after which I began to see things differently and my relationship with my son became much much better. He now knows that I love him dearly and my anger was down to frustration at seeing him in this predicament and feeling completely helpless. I have offered to work with him on his treatment if he wants and to give him the space he needs to come to terms with his problems. I understand now that the road is long and filled with pitfalls which we can now deal with together. Relapsing and lapsing are all part of the process and I can now understand that if he does have a bad day then thats O.K. because tomorrow we get back on that hill and start climbing again.
Thank You.
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A Sisters Story
Out of the blue my family learned that my younger sister, who was 18 at the time, had been arrested for shoplifting. We were all so shocked but not as much as we were when we were told that she had been arrested many times for shoplifting to feed her habit. She had an addiction to heroin and had kept it secret until it started to get out of control.
Over the next year my family was torn apart, mum and dad would be arguing, the police and dealers would be looking for my sister, she would steal from us all whether it was our money, jewellery or even clothes to sell it was just so horrible and at one point I think my parents were even close to separating and my little brother started to get into trouble at school and My parents had to attend a meeting with his teacher. The teacher was very understanding when mum explained what was happening at home and she said that she had heard of a parent group that may be able to help. She phoned them the next day and gave mum the number.
PINS were great they sent someone round to the house straightaway. Mum was so relieved not only did they give mum and dad all the support they needed but also provided all the information on how to help my sister to get help. I would often sit and talk to the support worker as I too felt I needed to understand why my sister had done this to us all and to get a lot of anger out of my system. We are now starting to pick up the pieces and be the family we should be. We know it will take time and that we all have to pull together but we are much stronger now.
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