One of the hardest things a therapist ever has to deal with is helping parents grieve the death of a child. The additional level of trauma from death by drug use causes parents to believe they could have “saved” the child; the “if only” and “should haves” are ever present.

I was talking with such a parent the other day who believes it was her fault her child overdosed. He had been a long time drug user and his Mom had spent most of her money (considerable wealth at that) paying for treatment, paying for his living expenses and doing everything she could think of to keep him clean and sober. The battle, all too sadly, was lost and her life is forever changed.

Then today in our local newspaper there was an article about a son who had killed his mother and critically injured his father. This son was a long-time drug user as well and his mother, in particular it seems, had been doing everything in her power to help her child. This cost went far beyond money. At what point does the love of a child stop ceding the love of self?

It is all so very sad. I don’t have the answers and am not sure who really does.  What role does society play in all of this? How many of our neighbors are dealing with this issue? Have any of you had a role in this type of sad story? Does anyone out there have an answer?