Understanding Your Grief after a Drug-Overdose Death

by Alan Wolfelt

Overview

Loss is always hard, but when someone you love dies of an accidental drug overdose, the grief that follows can be especially painful and challenging. In this compassionate guide, Dr. Alan Wolfelt, one of the world's most respected and beloved grief counselors and educators, shares the most important lessons he has learned from loved ones who've picked up the pieces in the aftermath of a drug overdose. Readers will learn ideas for coping in the early days after the tragic death, as well as ways to transcend the stigma associated with overdose deaths. The book also explores common thoughts and feelings, the six needs of mourning, self-care essentials, finding hope, and more. Yes, the road you are now walking is a heartbreaking one, but the principles in this guide will help you step through the darkness and back into the light. Understanding Your Grief After A Drug-Overdose Death is part of Companion Press's Words of Hope and Healing series—empathetic books on grief and other loss-related topics, with just the right amount of education and support.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781617222863
Publisher:	Companion Press
Publication date:	09/01/2020
Series:	Words of Hope and Healing
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	56
File size:	985 KB

About the Author

Dr. Alan D. Wolfelt is a noted author, educator and grief counselor.

Table of Contents

Welcome 1

The Early Days 3

The Funeral For Your Loved One 6

Addiction and the Opioid Epidemic 7

Stigmatized Grief and the Forgotten Mourner 9

What You Might Think and Feel 11

Shock, numbess, and denial 11

Anxiety and fear 11

Sadness 12

Guilt and regret 12

Shame 13

Anger and other explosive emotions 13

Blame 14

Relief and release 14

Physical, cognitive, and spiritual symptoms 15

Overdose grief and your family 17

Your Six Needs of Mourning 19

1 Acknowledge the reality of the death 20

2 Embrace the pain of the loss 21

3 Remember the person who died 22

4 Develop a new self-identity 23

5 Search for meaning 25

6 Receive ongoing support from others 26

Prioritizing Good Basic Self-Care 29

Physical self-care 29

Cognitive self-care 31

Emotional self-care 32

A word about triggers and griefbursts 33

Social self-care 34

Spiritual self-care 35

10 things you can do with your grief today 37

Reconciling Your Grief 39

Finding Hope Again 43

A Final Word 45

The Overdose-Death Mourners Bill of Rights 47

Resources 51