What does it feel like to plan your daughter’s funeral while she is still alive? In this raw and deeply personal episode, Bernadette McConnell joins us to share her journey as a mother navigating her daughter Bailey’s decade-long battle with cocaine and prescription drug addiction.
Bernadette pulls back the curtain on the “silent suffering” of parents. She discusses the agonizing thin line between helping and enabling, the physical toll of constant worry, and the moment she realized she didn’t hate her daughter—she hated the addict that had stolen her “Bailey Boo.”
In this episode, we discuss:
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The Reality of Addiction: Moving from “daddling” in teens to full-blown addiction in the 20s.
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The Mother’s Burden: Managing the guilt, the sleepless nights, and the trauma of “checking socials” just to see if your child is alive.
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The Systemic Failure: The “closed doors” of mental health services and the lack of immediate support for those in crisis.
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The Turning Point: Why Bernadette had to step back to save both herself and her daughter.
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Hope in Recovery: Celebrating Bailey’s 14 months of sobriety and the power of professional detox centers.
Connect with the Show: New episodes are released every Friday at 11:00 AM. We value your feedback and stories. Please reach out to our researcher and producer, Caroline Orr, at carolineorr@highlandradio.com with any comments or inquiries.
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