Walking Together through Addiction

Linda lost her son Mike in the summer of 2012. He was her youngest: smart, good looking and funny, with a killer smile. But he struggled with depression and anxiety, and often worried that he wasn't "normal." When Mike began experimenting with heroin as a teenager, Linda recalls that he told her that the drug took away his anxiety. His addiction quickly spiraled out of control.

Mike was in and out of treatment at Hazelden Betty Ford and several other centers for four years, with 23 months of sobriety in all. During the periods when he was sober, Linda remembers watching him build the life that he wanted to live—sponsoring others and creating a community. Recovery gifted Mike with moments of sobriety when his true light was able to shine.

"When you're walking through something like addiction, you feel alone. You need people to put their arms around you and say, 'I'm walking with you,'" Linda says. Mike's treatment helped Linda's family connect and support families who were going through similar experiences with their loved ones.

About a year before Mike died, he told Linda that if anything ever happened to him, he wanted her to tell his story. He understood that our stories are our connections to one another, and that sharing them helps everyone to heal. Sorrow and grief about Mike's death are always present, but Linda also feels a sense of gratitude and hope that has grown as she's continued talking about Mike's life and experiences. In telling her son's story—her family's story—Linda wants others experiencing addiction to know that they are not alone.