Drug addiction is a serious problem that affects people of all ages.
A lot of people think that addicts come from bad families, but that isn’t always the case. A lot of addicts come from good homes. Nobody chooses to be an addict, but once you are addicted to a drug, it seems almost impossible to quit it.
Rehab is an option, but it is sometimes hard to motivate people to go to rehab. Even those who have a support system struggle to find the confidence in themselves to beat their addiction. It’s not only the addict who suffers; their family members and friends also deal with the painful consequences of addiction.
In many cases, the parents suffer the most.
A child struggling with addiction and drug use that can kill them is probably one of the hardest things a parent can witness. Some parents urge their children to get help but only push them away further. Then, they have a hard time finding them.
This is what happened to Paul DiGiacomo. His daughter Meghan is an opioid addict. She left the family home to chase her addiction and ended up living on the streets of Boston. Paul and his wife hadn’t seen Meghan in months and were worried that she may not even be alive.
One night, they were watching “Anderson Cooper 360” when they noticed Cooper was interviewing local addicts. To their surprise, they saw that Meghan was one of them. She was living in an area referred to as Methadone Mile and was still struggling with her addition.
Meghan was sleeping on the streets and alone.
Her father couldn’t bear the thought of it. He knew that he couldn’t make Meghan go to rehab or get help for her addiction, but he still wanted to protect her. He packed up his belongings and the family dog, and he left his safe, warm, home to live on the streets with Meghan.
There, he would be able to keep any eye on her, protect her, and hopefully persuade her to get help and move back home with him. He hoped his presence will be enough to save Meghan’s life and show her how supportive he can be.
Meghan was surprised when her dad showed up.
“I was literally sleeping here, and I woke up to my dog licking my face and I looked, and my dad’s like, ‘Alright, we’re all moved in.’ I’m like, ‘What are you doing here?’ and he’s like, ‘I’m not leaving until you get help or go to the hospital.’”
If Meghan doesn’t care enough about herself to get help and fight her addiction, maybe she will do it to help get her dad off the streets. Having someone by her side who loves her will make it easier for her to fight addiction and could be the thing she needs to get help.
After Paul met up with his daughter and began living on the streets with her, “Anderson Cooper 360” came back around to do more interviews.
The crew caught up with the father and daughter and listened to their story. They also aired it, so everyone could hear about this heartfelt story of a father’s devotion to his daughter.
Hopefully, Meghan is able to fight her addiction and move back home with her family. Both she and Paul deserve to have a roof over their heads. Maybe their story will motivate other addicts to get help and inspire their family members to be more supportive.
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