Laura Close

Aug 15, 2024 | sandiegouniontribune.com | Laura Close

My mom is dead. It’s quite an abrupt phrase, I know. “My mom has passed away” would be gentler, softer. But every few hours in my head, “my mom is dead” plays on a haunted loop. It feels like a slap in the face each time. I can only assume that the death of a parent, no matter the circumstance, is often heartbreaking and difficult. But when it’s a substance use disorder that ends your mom’s life, the pain is raw,  and the experience can be traumatic. It was — is — for me.