SHE BROKE MY HEART!

WHEN a parent brings a child into this world they are happy, excited and wish to do their best to teach them to be a responsible adult.

I could not believe my ears the day I discovered that the apple of my eye was using substances. I kept hoping that someone would wake me up from this nightmare but it turned out to be very real. The child in front of me was not the child I brought into this world. I never thought Kelly would do this to me.

Kelly was a very obedient child, well behaved and an “A’’ student. She was tidy, friendly and hard-working but did not make friends easily. So I was very surprised when she came home with a friend whom she introduced as her classmate. Soon after, I started noticing that she no longer spent time with us, she would come home looking very tired and would go straight to bed. Kelly was not as tidy as she used to be; clothes, books and dirty plates would be all over her bedroom. Her grades gradually started to drop. This continued until I was called to the school and discovered that she was caught smoking marijuana. Apparently, the first time she and her friends got off with a warning, however this time all of them were suspended for two weeks. I was devastated; I didn’t know what to do or where to start. The Guidance teacher helped me to calm down and informed me about BOSASNET and their services. I wasted no time and made an appointment.

We were both enrolled in the program which came as a surprise as I had assumed that only my daughter would be enrolled. I was told that I needed just as much support as my daughter because substance use affects the whole family. I learned exactly how it had affected me by looking at my behavior. I had changed from being a friendly and outgoing person to being a very anti-social individual with low self-esteem. I kept to myself, stopped attending family and social gatherings as I did not want to be around people. I felt like they blamed me for my daughter’s behavior, as if I had not done all I could to teach her good values and not provided her with all that she needed. Through counselling I rediscovered myself and rekindled old friendships. I learned to take better care of myself by joining the gym and eating healthy. I also let go of the things I could not control.

If you are a mother who has a child who is using substances, support is available. BOSASNET offers counselling support services to family members and those services include education, individual and group therapy (Parent Support Group), through which co-dependents rediscover themselves and are empowered to offer appropriate support to their loved ones who are abusing or addicted to substances. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic BOSASNET has suspended group sessions until further notice.

If you think that you might have a substance abuse problem, or you have a family member or friend we encourage you to seek help. For some it can mean the difference between life and death. You can find BOSASNET on Facebook, visit us on www, bosasnet.com, or call us on 3959119 or 72659891, for more information.