Sarah Seas
Bio
Mother of an Addict, Blogger, Author and Professional Speaker. Board Member of a women in crisis organization, helping addicts and their children to a better quality of life.
Stories (8/0)
Normy and Not Another Funeral
My cousin calls me last night and tells me the Fred, the boyfriend of her daughter, died on Sunday from a heroin overdose. My little cousin, her daughter Rachel, is on a trip out of state right now and flying home on a bereavement pass tomorrow morning. Fred was always really sweet and they were talking about getting married. Now she and our family will be attending his funeral and she will be sitting next to his mother in the front row of the chapel instead of standing with him at the front of the church. The flowers will be overwhelming and there will be friends sharing stories of love but there won’t be any happy wedding toasts with sparkling cider. These funerals of overdose victims can’t really be celebrations of life, since the addict didn’t love life more than they loved their drug of choice, right?
By Sarah Seas4 years ago in Psyche
Normy and Not the Truth
December 18th Normy and Not the Truth It’s Tuesday and I’m trying to figure out my monthly budget and how to pay childcare plus figure out how to buy a few gifts along with all our regular bills. It suddenly comes to me that oh yeah, my daughter, Catalina, has a job now that she is out of the "Rehab Riviera" (the media's term referring to the huge number of private Rehab and Sober Living Houses dotting the coast in Southern California) where her days were spent going to group meetings, occasional massages, and “experimential therapy” which included kick boxing classes, yoga, rock climbing, a paddling out in the Pacific Ocean with a group to have weekly meetings floating in the ocean under the warm sun). Almost anyone could be jealous of days spent that way.
By Sarah Seas4 years ago in Psyche
Normy and the New Year
December 31 Normy and the New Year Fireworks are already going off outside and its twenty minutes before midnight. This is our first New Year’s Eve in five years that we are fairly certain our daughter is clean and sober. We know where she is. For a parent who has never dealt with addiction, this may not seem like a big deal, but for me it is every birthday wish I’ve made these last few years. As the clock ticks toward the New Year I am so thankful for this simple pleasure; knowing my daughter is safe tonight. We removed all the alcohol from the house before the holidays and let all our family that would be visiting, there would be no alcohol in our home because we do understand that sobriety can be so fragile especially in the beginning.
By Sarah Seas4 years ago in Psyche
Normy and Not Just Any Trap
I’m discussing changes at work with one of my coworkers and I mention that I will probably need to start job hunting early next year with these changes in my comp plan at work that will result in me earning a lot less money. My coworker, Letty, who is only a little familiar with our family situation and our guardianship of my granddaughter says to me, “I don’t see how you can get a new job with what a mess your family life is. You need to have a boss that understands all the time you miss with a young child like our boss does.” I say to her, “Wow, Letty, that’s a little harsh that my life is a mess.” She is not apologetic when she says, “Hey I remember when my sister who is an addict, was off the radar and I had to drive a hour away to help out with her four kids, I missed all kinds of work, if I had any other boss than our boss, I would have lost my job for sure. So there is no way you can start a new job or even change locations cause you don’t know when you will need to miss work with a little one. Sucks for you but that’s how it is.”
By Sarah Seas4 years ago in Families
Normy and the Not a Spider Bite
My daughter sends me a text yesterday, “Can you send me all the insurance info. I’m at urgent care for an infection from a spider bite. Now I have shortness of breath, constant nausea, fever and super low blood pressure.” I take a picture of our insurance card with my phone and text it to her with a message to call me after she is out of the urgent care center.
By Sarah Seas4 years ago in Families
Holidays with an Addict in the Family
This is our favorite time of year, celebrating holidays together with our immediate family and our extended family. We decorate, we bake, we invite everyone over, and we look forward to seeing everyone all dressed up. It is usually a whirlwind of activity getting ready for the holidays. However, yesterday, I heard something at a support meeting for families of addicts, that made me stop and think.
By Sarah Seas5 years ago in Psyche
Normy and the Step-Addict
So you find yourself in a blended family with stepchildren, some who are grown up. By no fault of your own, one of the stepchildren happens to become a drug addict. You and your partner are non-drug users, not alcoholics and never have been. You are both "Normies" (normal people who do not alter their state of being by getting high or drunk all the time, preferring to mentally keep it normal).
By Sarah Seas5 years ago in Psyche
Normy and the Drug Test
I am the Mother of an Addict learning more about addiction and recovery every day. One of my adult children is an Addict who thankfully is in Recovery (a Rehab program) right now. My daughter came into her addiction via a broken bone that had to have surgery and pins put in it. The surgeon gave her a “lovely”pain management prescription for Norcos. She got a 90 Day supply given to her by the surgeon, and then when she had taken all of them within the first month, the doctor authorized a refill… TWICE in that same 90 day time period.
By Sarah Seas5 years ago in Psyche
