When Addiction Steals Your Child: Katie Rizzo's Journey Through Grief - Episode 88

WHO THIS EPISODE HELPSAnyone grieving the loss of a child, supporting someone through addiction, living with complicated grief, carrying guilt after loss, or struggling with the silence and stigma surrounding substance use disorder. This episode is also for parents, caregivers, healthcare professionals, and anyone searching for hope after unimaginable loss. WHAT LISTENERS WILL GETA deeply honest conversation about losing a child to addiction, breaking through shame, learning to carry grief instead of outrunning it, and discovering that healing doesn't mean forgetting. Katie shares practical ways she's survived the darkest days through community, creativity, movement, vulnerability and continuing her relationship with her son, Nicholas. DESCRIPTIONBefore there was addiction, there was Nicholas.That simple truth becomes the foundation of one of the most honest conversations ever shared on Grief Is Not A Dirty Word.Katie Rizzo joins Nick Gaylord to tell the story of her son Nicholas—not as an addict, but as a shy, funny, athletic young man who loved soccer, superheroes, his brothers, and his family. Together they explore the devastating reality of addiction, the stigma families face after an overdose, and why addiction should be treated as a medical condition instead of a moral failing.Katie speaks openly about the six-year battle to save her son, the day everything changed forever, the crushing weight of parental guilt, and how she's slowly learned to give herself the same grace she so freely gives other grieving parents.The conversation also explores Katie's powerful "Trimesters of Grief" framework, why movement and creativity became essential to her healing, the importance of continuing to say a loved one's name, and how grief doesn't have to disappear in order for hope to exist.This is a conversation about love, addiction, shame, resilience, and learning that the people we lose never stop being part of our lives.THIS EPISODE ANSWERS How do you survive losing a child to addiction?  Why is addiction a disease instead of a moral failure?  How do parents cope with guilt after losing a child?  Why do grieving families need us to continue saying their loved one's name?  Can grief and joy exist at the same time?THIS EPISODE ANSWERS How do you survive losing a child to addiction?  Why is addiction a disease instead of a moral failure?  How do parents cope with guilt after losing a child?  Why do grieving families need us to continue saying their loved one's name?  Can grief and joy exist at the same time?KATIE'S LINKSWEBSITE:  https://www.katierizzo.comCONTACT: https://www.katierizzo.com/contactINSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/katierizzo007/Support the showGIVE THE SHOW A 5-STAR RATING ON APPLE PODCASTS! FOLLOW US ON APPLE OR YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST PLATFORM! BOOKMARK OUR WEBSITE: www.griefisnotadirtyword.com FOLLOW OUR DEAD DADS ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/griefisnotadirtyword Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/griefisnotadirtyword TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@griefisnotadirtywordYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmmv6sdmMIys3GDBjiui3kw LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-gaylord/