Last week was Opioid Awareness Day on the Hill in Minnesota. There is so much good going on to combat addiction. I’m thankful for my fellow advocates who show up and do their part in ending this epidemic. Stopping addiction…
Read moreHer Dad, his wife, Avery and I sat out on the deck and talked about what the next step should be. Avery seemed small, sad and very resigned. I was just so happy she was back and alive. We all…
Read moreAvery called and said they got tickets back to Minneapolis and gave me the flight plans. I was so excited!!!! I called the police to let them know Brett* (not his real name) would be traveling to MN, where there…
Read moreI got her to the Emergency Room at the hospital nearest to the treatment center in suburban Chicago and she was admitted. It took a few hours and then she was admitted to the detox center across the parking lot.…
Read moreIn the following days I went to Avery's apartment to help her clean up. I was not prepared for what I saw. There was blood everywhere. On the walls, furniture, floor, bedding, pictures on the wall. Broken items, knives, holes…
Read moreAfter Avery went to the recovery center, I went to a weekend family program there. It was really eye opening as we all came in with different beliefs: "I am not the problem, if only they would stop drinking everything would…
Read moreIn January 2012, Avery came to us and said she was ready to go to a recovery center. We dropped her off at a small, local recovery center for 30 days. I was so relieved. I knew she would be safe…
Read moreShe would borrow my minivan occasionally and bring it back the next day. One night I realized I needed my car first thing in the morning and called her to bring it back. I could tell she was really messed…
Read moreI welcomed my daughter into the world in December of 1990. Motherhood was everything I thought it would be and everything I could not even have begun to imagine. She grew up smart, beautiful, full of joy and life. It…
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