SHAIR 85: "The Other Side of Addiction" with The Alicia Cook, the aftermath of Heroin Overdose.SHAIR 85: "The Other Side of Addiction" with The Alicia Cook, the aftermath of Heroin Overdose.
The SHAIR Recovery Podcast
Writer Alicia Cook talks about losing her cousin Jessica to a heroin overdose and how that grief led her to write about families affected by addiction. She and host Omar Pinto discuss the pain, stigma and hope on the "other side" of addiction, along with the importance of sharing stories and caring for yourself while helping others.
1:01:57•27 Sept 2016
Heroin, Grieving the Living and The Other Side of Addiction with Alicia Cook
Episode Overview
- Addiction often causes families to “grieve twice” – first the person they knew, and then their physical death.
- Loved ones of people using drugs experience their own stages of grief, guilt and helplessness, and these reactions are normal.
- Sharing honest family stories helps break stigma and can influence public attitudes and policy around addiction.
- There is always hope while someone is still alive, but asking for help and admitting the problem are crucial first steps.
- Even helpers and advocates must prioritise rest, basic self-care and balance to avoid burnout.
“Heroin is the worst thing to ever happen to me. And I’ve never touched it.”
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction? This conversation between host Omar Pinto and writer-advocate Alicia Cook shines a harsh but honest light on what she calls “the other side of addiction” – the families left holding the pieces. Alicia shares how heroin claimed the life of her cousin Jessica at just 19, and how the grief began long before the overdose.
She explains, “It is very possible to grieve the living… you grieve twice,” capturing the quiet heartbreak of watching someone disappear before they actually die. Her most quoted line cuts straight through the stigma: “Heroin is the worst thing to ever happen to me.
And I’ve never touched it.” Rather than speaking as an addict, Alicia speaks as a cousin, daughter and friend, giving language to the helplessness, anger and guilt that many loved ones feel but rarely say out loud. She talks about taking six years before she could even write about Jessica, and how that promise – “If I don’t make it out of this, write about it. Don’t forget me” – fuels her ongoing work.
You’ll also hear about her growing advocacy, from answering countless emails from scared and grieving families to fronting a PBS documentary focused on families, not needles and shock tactics. She and Omar openly admit they’re both terrible at work–life balance, swapping honest confessions about burnout, self-care, and the importance of simple routines like rest, food and quiet time.
This episode speaks directly to anyone who loves someone caught in addiction, as well as people in recovery who want to understand what their families went through. It’s raw, honest and strangely comforting – a reminder that “you’re not alone” isn’t just a slogan. Could hearing Jessica and Alicia’s story be the nudge you need to speak up, ask for help, or finally share your own story?
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