Avenues Recovery Center is proud to present the story of a mother’s fierce, unconditional love for her children, through the stormy waters of addiction. Her steady presence and quiet devotion made her an anchor in their lives, allowing them to eventually find their way to the safe shores of recovery.
My name is Susan. I became addicted at the young age of 14, and struggled into my mid 20’s.
I thought there were plenty of people who loved me through my addiction (other users), when in fact I had only one person: my oldest sister. I did my best to distance her, but she still never gave up on loving me - even if it were just through her thoughts and prayers. Over time, her love for me made me realize that I needed to start loving myself.
I became a mother to four beautiful, precious human beings, and lived through the torturous cycle of addiction with two of them. Each of my two children became addicted to different substances at contrasting times, sometimes crossing paths. I watched my children slowly fall apart, suffer in toxic, violent relationships and messy legal situations, so terribly sick that my heart shattered into a million pieces. They had been overtaken by monsters; there were strangers living in my children's skins.
And I loved them through every minute of it.
I let them know that I would always be there, with both compassionate and tough love. I set healthy boundaries and strong standards of self-care. I continued to nurture them while giving over the understanding that I will always love them, but I will not accept them in their use. I stayed steady so they could count on my actions until they were ready to take accountability for their own.
I am grateful to share that I am sober for over 35 years, and am very close to my amazing adult children. My daughter has been clean for 11 years and my son for 7 years, with a recent relapse and fighting to get it back. We do recover, one day at a time!