City Girl Gone Mom's Danielle Schaffer On A Brother Stolen by Addiction and Thriving Despite Generational Trauma

ABOUT THE EPISODE:Danielle Schaffer is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to her business and her family, but not even this determined, dynamic Italian "momshell" who hails from New York City could save her baby brother from the grip of addiction. As founder of the insanely popular blog and Instagram account, City Girl Gone Mom, and host of The Mom Confidential podcast, Danielle puts her mind to something and then makes it happen. But sadly, when it comes to addiction, even when you love someone to the ends of the earth, you can't always save them. This episode is the second in my pursuit of telling the siblings' stories around families, addiction and coping - a side of the opioid crisis and addiction in general, that doesn't get told nearly enough. Danielle generously shares her family's story and gives us a behind-the-scenes look at what it was like to grow up in a family riddled with addiction and how she attempted to save her brother Scott, who ultimately lost his battle to an overdose in 2018.Listen in to this vulnerable and heart-wrenching episode as Danielle shares;what she aspired to be when she was a little girl and how that’s so relevant nowher life as a child growing up with a mom who was an addictwhat it was like dealing with her brother while having a growing family and business empireher relationship with her brother Scott and how her role as "sissy" also blurred with being a mother figure to himhow well her brother hid the extent of his use from everyone close to himthe constant lies her brother used to cover up his drug use and overdosesthe disturbing combination of drugs that showed up in Scott's toxicology reportthe agony of telling her kids their uncle had died of an overdose and how her family dealt with the blow of their lossthe good and bad sides of sibling support groups some of her COVID coping skills and how she's staying healthy right nowwhy she’s so open about her brother’s death and how he diedthe questions she asks herself about her brother’s struggle with drugsand how she recently honored her brother’s life Settle in for this one, it's so real and so honest. EPISODE RESOURCES:Sibling Support Resources (addiction related - this is an Australian site but has some good information)Culpeper Overdose Awareness (grief support for siblings)This podcast is part of a nonprofit called Hopestream CommunityLearn about The Stream, our private online community for momsFind us on Instagram hereWatch the podcast on YouTube hereDownload a free e-book, Worried Sick: A Compassionate Guide For Parents When Your Teen or Young Adult Child Misuses Drugs and AlcoholHopestream Community is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and an Amazon Associate. We may make a small commission if you purchase from our links.