Parents of Drug Addicts: A Plea for Compassion & Action

The second and final session of SEL (Solidarity, Fulfillment, and Freedom) for parents of drug addicts took place from October 11 to 13 at the Fiat Foyer. This weekend retreat welcomed a new group of parents who are described as “in distress, lost, and suffering in isolation within their disintegrating families,” according to Cadress Rungen, a social worker in charge of Groupe A in Cassis and Lakaz A, coordinating activities for active drug users, those in recovery, their children, and their parents.

Rungen explained how, over the years, their work with drug victims has revealed that it is not only the users who suffer but their entire family units.

The SEL sessions, designed to help young people take responsibility for their lives and avoid falling prey to drug dealers, also focus on the parents of addicts.

“Year after year, we recognize the profound impact addiction has on families,” he stated.

During the latest SEL session, which is set to be the last of 2024, the average age of participating parents was between 45 and 50.

“This is a stark contrast from previous sessions where the parents were much younger,” Rungen noted.

He continued, reflecting on the intensity of emotions experienced by very young parents whose children have become enslaved by drugs.

“They experience deep shame and often lack the strength to face societal judgment. As a result, they retreat into isolation,” he said.

In contrast, the older parents attending the most recent session have endured considerable hardship. “These families have faced a plethora of challenges—verbal, physical, and psychological abuse, incarceration, and more.

They are no longer afraid of anything. Instead, their focus is on how to cope with their incredibly difficult circumstances,” Rungen remarked.

One of the most striking revelations from this session was the profound sense of loss felt by these parents.

“They expressed feeling stripped of everything,” Rungen explained, “financially, as their children take their money for drugs, and emotionally, as drug addiction erodes their love, dignity, and the bonds they once had with their beloved children.

While love remains in their hearts, the purity of that love is increasingly overshadowed by distrust, fear, panic, and, most devastatingly, shame.”

The outcome of this emotional turmoil is that families are left broken and scarred.

Rungen reflected on his four-decade career, expressing disbelief at the scale of addiction in the country.

“When we started, we were hopeful we could solve the problem that was consuming our youth.

Yet, during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite stringent lockdowns, drugs were still readily available.

It is raising serious questions about the extent of drug trafficking in our country,” he asserted.

Rungen acknowledged that many parents suffer in silence, believing they are the only ones facing such challenges and feeling trapped in their circumstances.

“For them, life feels like a prison without escape,” he said. This realization prompted the creation of the SEL sessions, which aim to provide these parents with a supportive environment to share their struggles.

“Through conversations and dialogues, we help them regain their identities,” Rungen noted.

Though the parents’ problems remain unresolved after their participation—“Their children are still using drugs”—the sessions impart vital knowledge.

“They gain insights into addiction, learn how to communicate with their loved ones, monitor their behavior, and know where to seek help,” he explained.

Moreover, the SEL session is not an endpoint. “We encourage ongoing contact, inviting them to return for regular meetings and activities.

Many former addicts who have successfully quit drugs are eager to assist both us and their parents in this process,” Rungen added, emphasizing a community-based approach to recovery.

As these families begin to emerge from their despair, Rungen stressed the need for greater support, asserting that “we are merely a small NGO, and countless parents are suffering throughout the country.”

He urged authorities and political parties, particularly in this electoral season, to prioritize a transparent and actionable drug policy to alleviate the pain endured by these families.

“Now more than ever, it is crucial to address these issues with sincerity and commitment,” he concluded.

Source: Le Mauricien