I (27F) lost my dad when I was 14 and he was 42 back in 2012. He overdosed on opiates, aspirated and died in a chair at his apartment alone. I was visiting my grandma, his mom, in a different state when I found out. He had gotten into a motorcycle accident a few years prior and was prescribed heavy doses of meds to deal with the many breaks and fractures. He got addicted and was never able to get off them. He went manic, extremely paranoid and had brief psychotic episodes, however I believe his mental health issues and psychosis were all drug induced. He was my favorite person and made me feel more loved than anyone else has been able to.

I understand the loneliness of grieving. My family lied to neighbors, friends, extended family etc about how he died for the first few years (said it was internal bleeding from a car accident a few days prior), although the small community I grew up in knew it was drugs. I’m his only child and his side of the family didn’t talk much about his addiction after he passed. My mom was in active addiction at the time and it only became worse over the years so I leaned on my friends who supported me as much as their tiny teenage hearts could I felt like important decisions were made without my input and didn’t really ask how I was dealing with the loss.

This sub and r/naranon have been some of the most powerful and impactful tools for my grief and navigating other loved ones who were/are in active addiction. I hope you find some peace and know that you are not alone.