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“So Many Pathways” To Recovery: A Sister’s Message After Losing Her Brother

Dominique Simon August 8, 2022
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Jaclyn Brown lost her brother Marc to heroin in 2018. While she and her sister tried to support him, the clarity of hindsight is making it painfully clear to her the steps she might have taken, if only she’d known they were possible. But her essay is not about self-judgment; it’s about reaching out to others with a message of hope.

Jaclyn Brown gives it to us straight – she and her family had little idea about the array of resources available to those enduring substance use disorder like her brother Marc:

“We didn’t know what we didn’t know. We didn’t know that there were medications for addiction treatment (MAT). We didn’t know that we should have Naloxone on hand (and in a lot of places, you can get it for free). We didn’t know about peer support. We didn’t know about parent coaches. We didn’t know about the concept of harm reduction. We didn’t know how many other families have gone through this. We didn’t know that organizations like Partnership to End Addiction existed. We didn’t how many support groups were out there to help us navigate this. We didn’t know there are other people out there who are compassionate and wouldn’t judge us.”

Jaclyn’s story of losing her brother, and her realization that she might have supported him in accessing these broader resources, could easily mire a survivor in guilt and self-accusation. That’s not Jaclyn’s project, however. In the memory of Marc, she’s working hard to spread the word that recovery resources are many, and widely available. Her testimony is so powerful. You can read it in full here:

A Sibling’s Story: Facing Their Brother’s Substance Use – We Didn’t Know What We Didn’t Know

And if you’re starting your own search for resources for your Loved One, don’t forget that Allies In Recovery maintains a large, up-to-date online hub for recovery resources. The options are many, and they differ greatly. To help sort through them, you might also want to consult our introduction to levels of treatment providers and step-by-step resource finding guide. No matter your Loved One’s situation, there are actions you can take, and caring people to help you take them.

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Dominique Simon
Dominique launched Allies in Recovery in 2003. Her work has been featured on HBO and NPR. She is a facilitator and a trained speaker on issues of addiction and the family. She has worked extensively developing and evaluating federally-funded substance abuse programs for organizations and clinics throughout Massachusetts and New York. With an interest in recovery and substance abuse that spans 20 years, she sees a huge need to help families develop the skills to help a loved one recover fully in a supportive, whole, and lasting way in their families and in their communities. Her mission is to have Allies in Recovery fill that gap.

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