Memories of My Mother and Her Addiction, in Six Parts

A reflection on the damage opioids can do

Photo: Paul Schutzer/the LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

My mother died as an opioid addict at the age of 53. I don’t know when her addiction really began, but I’ve come to realize that she self-medicated to escape. I have a vague vision of her at one time being the mother I needed her to be, but I’m unsure if it’s a true memory or something I conjured up to…