Nine Lives: The Heartbreak of Addiction

By J. Reed

Nine Lives: The Heartbreak of Addiction is a compelling account of a mother's poignant journey through the progression of her only son's downhill battle with drug addiction. As Adam falls prey to his demons, she strives to remain strong and supportive while facing challenges no mother should ever have to face. She relentlessly searches for answers as she struggles to understand this chronic disease. Nine Lives is informational, but more importantly, it is about a mother who bears her soul with emotional truths. In doing so, Nine Lives has become a heartfelt message of hope and inspiration.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: May 18, 2017
• ISBN: 9781635754773

Book preview

301564-ebook.jpg

Nine Lives

The Heartbreak of Addiction

A Memoir

J. A. Reed

ISBN 978-1-63575-476-6 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63575-477-3 (Digital)

Copyright © 2017 by J.A. Reed

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

296 Chestnut Street

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

To my children, Reneé and Adam, who have been my constants and have grounded me through the years. I love you both with all my heart.

Introduction

I am simply a loving wife, mother, and grandmother who has gone through a life-changing event. I felt a need for reflection—a need to take a closer look at the past and to understand how we got to this inconceivable place. In doing so, I believe my quest has become thought-provoking and inspirational. It has become a message of hope, not only for myself and my family but for anyone who has gone through, or is going through, a similar experience.

This journey into the past has been part of my grieving process, and an even bigger part of my healing process. It was like reliving it all: the sweet innocent early years filled with dreams and promise, the challenging bitter season of doubt and fear, and finally the ultimate heartbreak.

Unfortunately, we can’t really relive life. We can’t do it over. We can’t change what is done. We can only hopefully learn from it, seek some kind of resolve, and come to terms with what has happened. We need to do that to move forward and embrace this precious gift called life.

I lost my only son, Adam, three years ago in a tragic accident; although, you could say we lost him many years earlier when he lost himself to the perilous world of drug addiction.

Chapter 1

To a Young Heart, Everything Is Fun

Charles Dickens

I grew up in a small resort town in Upstate New York on a seventeen-mile-long lake nestled within treed hills dotted with vineyards. To the early inhabitants, American Indians, it was named Ganandogan (later changed to Canandaigua), meaning chosen spot. Canandaigua Lake is the fourth largest lake of the popular tourist destination, the Finger Lakes. It is a beautiful place to not only grow up but to raise a family.

As a child, the winters were brutal. That may be one reason I was an inherent optimist. When the temperature outside is minus four degrees, with a twenty-four-inch snowfall, you had to look on the bright side…No school!

Those days were filled with fun and excitement. My father bellowed out our favorite morning cheer, Girls, no school today! My sisters and I squealed with delight as we sprung out of bed and ran to the frosted window. We wiped the cold pane with the palms of our hands and squinted to see through the slanted falling snow to the pillowy-white blanket below. Excitedly, we envisioned how we would spend our unexpected free day. After a quick breakfast, we made phone calls to our friends.

Hi, Ginny. My dad told us no school today!

I know, she replied. I saw it on television. See you out there.

Later, we hollowed out snowbanks to build igloos where we became toasty warm and reveled in our school day reprieve. After the plows came through, we played king of the mountain on large crusty banks of snow. "Ginny, look at that huge