Mother’s torment of drug-addicted son

The Herald Sun published an article showcasing a mother’s struggle with her teenage son’s battle with drug addiction and subsequent withdrawal.

“I remember spending the night that he collapsed full of anxiety just watching him and making sure he was breathing,” Ms Parker said.

“After Luke got up, I said to my husband, ‘I just can’t take this any more’ and rang up a hospital to see where I could get help.”

Unable to find a detoxification and rehabilitation centre in Victoria, the family made the tough decision to send Luke to South Australia on the advice of a hospital.

After three months, Luke returned home drug-free and ready to regain his life.

Now 20, Luke is at university and also working.

He is nothing like the boy who put his family through hell.

Ms Parker still worries Luke might one day return to drugs, but is now concentrating on helping families of other addicts.

She volunteers as a helpline counsellor for Family Drug Help, a Melbourne-based organisation that offers counselling and support groups for families of drug users.

Read the full article: Mother knows the torment of drugs