Bridget's Story

My name is Bridgette. I would like to tell the story of my son Joshua who has been addicted to opioids since he was 17, or younger. I don't really know but that is when he started stealing and serving prison time for his addiction. That's when he started stealing to support his habit, broke into homes, made drug deals, and even stole from me. The major issue then was the judicial system believed the best way to cure the problem was to lock up the addicts. He went to court and begged for rehab, but was sent away for three years. I wrote letters to judges and everyone to try and get him rehab but it fell on deaf ears.

Then he finally got out. His issues were still there so he began to use again. He basically did the same thing again, he stole to support his habit, was caught and put back in prison. I tried to get him help, but the rehab I helped him get in, he just walked out of and again the courts just put him back in prison. This became his life again and again. He met a girl while in prison, got married, and they had a baby girl. They were struggling, so I let them live with me for a week. I realized they were both using. I had to call the police one night when things were not working and my own son tried to say I beat him he tried to put me in jail. Unfortunately, it wasn't long and he went back to prison. While he was in this time his wife divorced him, and he still was only given prison time no rehab.

When he was released, his ex wife and him started dating again. They produced another girl which he really didn't even get to see because he was back using again, and caught stealing and went back to prison. While in prison he tells me the same things I always hope I would hear. He is sorry, he wants to stop, it will be different this time, and would I please help him get clean. This time when he was released, I really tried to help him. I gave him a car, an apartment and helped him find a job. It wasn't long when I realized he was using again. He had needles in his apartment, and stole my leased car to go get drugs. My husband confronted him and had to spend the night in jail because my son claimed he beat him up. I thought that was as low as it could get.

He left me and went back to his ex wife and kids. While the two of them were down the street at a crack house they realized no one was home with the kids. When they went back home, they were in a huge fight and the ex wife stabbed him. The police called me and I had to go pick up the kids. The ex wife went to prison, and my son went on a crime spree. While he was stealing and living on the streets, he tried to cook his own drugs using chemicals he stole from Home Depot. When he shot that into his arm he actually burnt his arm from the inside out. He almost lost his arm. It wasn't long after that and he was in jail again. While he went away, his ex wife decided to grant custody of his children to me.

Josh saved the worse for this last time he was released from prison. He shot heroine on the bus ride home. He then proceeded to find different girls to date while using with them including his ex wife which she became pregnant again. He overdosed 3 times being saved each time by using narcan. He flipped a car that he had stolen, was handcuffed to a bed in the hospital and escaped. He has had guns put in his mouth by drug dealers. He has had his car T-boned and walked away from it. He was finally caught in a stolen car after a high speed chase, he had 7 different warrants from 6 different counties when he finally was sentenced.

His children are now 8, 6, and 1. The 8 and 6 year olds are still living with me. The one year old is a boy that was born while he and his ex wife were in prison. The baby is living with his ex wife for the moment after she finally completed rehab and released from jail, I guess. She doesn't allow me to see him and has no contact with the girls.This is his fourth time in prison from the age of 18-34. He has spent a total of 3 years in that time free from prison. He now has Hepatitis C, and a bad liver. He will be up for release in August and is supposed to have a chance to be enrolled in the iron workers union.

I wrote this story to hopefully help just one person change the vicious cycle that I have endured. This epidemic is really bad and one I don't understand. It destroyed my little boy. It destroys families. It destroys generations. It is like he is a walking dead person, it has changed him physically and mentally! He looks so bad, I hardly recognize him. I pray everyday for the end to this madness!