Many people trying to get help with drug addiction face long waiting lists at rehabilitation centres, and it is even harder for parents who do not have anyone to look after their children while they are in treatment.
But the residential parents program run by Odyssey House is one of the few places in Australia where mothers and fathers can take their children with them into drug rehabilitation.
The parents living in the two communal homes in Sydney’s south-west are recovering drug and alcohol addicts.
On top of its rehabilitation program, the centre provides a safe environment with a kids room, a kitchen garden and mini playground.
The program is full and there is a waiting list of parents who want to join. Some families have even travelled from interstate to check in.
The program’s coordinator, Melissa Eldridge, said the parents stay in the program until they are clean and able to be capable parents.
“Typically [drug abuse] impacts the relationship they have, not only with themselves and with their extended families, but also obviously with their children,” she said.
“That can affect the children’s wellbeing cognitively, developmentally, socially and emotionally.”
Ms Eldridge said many of the addicts she speaks to had delay getting help because they were worried about being separated from their children.
“There is concern that they may not be able to have their children with them, or who will look after their children,” she said.
“It’s important to have programs like [this one] because it allows the family unit to stay together.”
Sam
Sam struggled with ice addiction on-and-off before her daughter Layla was born.
She decided to go into detox and rehab when she fell pregnant with her 11-month-old son.
“My life was breaking, falling apart, I suppose,” she said.
“I had come out of a relationship a little while beforehand [and] I’d just found out I was pregnant and I had just had a baby.
“I’d been out of addiction for 15 months, because I got myself clean when I was pregnant with [my daughter] Layla.
“I stayed clean for 15 months and then all of a sudden started to feel like falling back into addiction again.
“I used a few times and said, ‘No, I have to go’.”
The 28-year-old said she had been a victim of domestic violence and was now dealing with the scars of abuse.
“I’ve got my life back, I am a good mum now, I can provide for my kids in every way,” Sam said.
“I’m looking forward to going back and studying something, I just can’t choose what to study.”
Mark
Mark is a single dad and has been in the program for about nine months.
Three of his children are living with him while he undergoes rehab for addiction to ice, marijuana and alcohol.
The 36-year-old said he was proud of himself for getting help.
“I’m hoping it will change my life completely. I’ve been doing the wrong thing for the last 20 years and I’m hoping just to get out of here, get myself a house, get myself a job,” he said.
Mark said being a single dad was a job full of rewards and challenges.
“It’s busy, it’s hard sometimes, but I like it. I love having the kids here with me, I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” he said.
Mark said he sought help to get well when his addiction to ice spiralled out of control.
“It made me a bit crazy, cost me thousands of dollars, [and I] nearly ended up in jail a few times,” he said.
He has sought help for addiction on numerous occasions, but said he is hoping this time it will be successful.
John and Sharni
John and Sharni are a couple who have struggled with addiction to alcohol and morphine and they checked in to the program almost two years ago.
Their two-year-old daughter Savannah is living with them.
The pair were unable find anything similar in their home state of Tasmania, and they did not want to leave their baby behind.
“She’s our daughter, I didn’t want to be without her. She was only really young and I wanted her to be with me,” Sharni said.
John said he had learnt a lot about what led to him abusing drugs, and the effect it was having on his daughter.
“You think you are doing well, you think you are doing what you can as a parent in an addiction, you don’t sort of stop and think about all the things that can impact a child right from the word go,” he said.
“That is something that’s huge for me that I’ve got out of it and I’ve learnt.”
John and Sharni are in the final stages of the program and getting ready to check out.
“In addiction you lose sight of who you are, and then therefore you lose sight of everything around you … we’ve had to get to know each other all over again,” John said.
Bridie
Bridie has just celebrated her 27th birthday and gave birth to her daughter, Natasha, seven weeks ago.
“She’s good, I couldn’t have asked for a better baby, really,” Bridie said.
The mother-of-four said she was getting counselling and medical advice, as well as help to get off drugs.
“I’ve looked at it more now as there’s probably a lot of issues stemming from why I’ve used [drugs] – self-esteem, bad relationships, my upbringing,” she said.
She has three other children who are not living with her.
Bridie said she felt her addiction to marijuana had become uncontrollable.
“I was pretty much given the ultimatum that if I don’t do something to change what I’m doing I would have lost Natasha out of my care,” she said.
“I wasn’t willing to let that happen.”
Bridie said she was excited for the future.
“Leaving here, I’m pretty confident I won’t be back where I started,” she said.