Time to break the silence and end the stigma of addiction
People living with addiction deserve respect and support
My biggest secret is also my mother’s. That’s why I’ve kept it from everyone except those in my immediate family who also know, and hide, the truth. A generous reading of the situation would be that we’ve all kept my mother’s addiction secret to spare her the judgment of others. I like to think this of myself, but perhaps, on some level, I have done this for the same reason some in my family have cast Mum aside — to avoid the judgment and shame of others landing on ourselves.
To hell with that. I’m proud of Mum. She’s the strongest person I know.
Another reason I’ve kept this to myself for so long is because, despite the impact my mother’s addiction has had on me, I never thought of it as my story to tell. In many ways it isn’t, and I’m only sharing Mum’s story now with her permission.
Mum grew up in a war zone. For the most part she raised my sister and I as a single parent. And she somehow managed to care for my grandmother in the final years of her life when the truth is she probably needed a carer herself.
My Mum is a superwoman. But alcohol and tobacco are her Kryptonite.
