It’s not an easy subject to talk about. It doesn’t fit into one tiny box. It doesn’t discriminate. Addiction is raw, it’s real, and it’s heartbreaking.
Sure, sometimes people could have made better choices but maybe an “escape” was their only way to cope? What caused them to search for an escape in the first place? What parts of themselves were they trying to numb?
Have you yourself ever been teetering on the edge of “maybe I am partying a litttttle too much?”
I have. I ain’t even going to lie to ya. I’ve mentioned it before, I was in a dark place as a teenager and I wanted to escape it, however I could. I never became addicted to anything that really took over me, but what if I had? Where would I be today?
People don’t just wake up one day and say “ya know what? I’m going to be a drug addict when I grow up.” It just kind of happens and it’s not always as cut and dry as you might think.
A 17-year-old soccer star tears a ligament; the first course of action is usually pain killers. After surgery and physical therapy, she is still relying on the pain pills to get through the day. Repeatedly she tells the doctors “I don’t want to count on these to get through life” and out of nowhere she’s addicted. She didn’t choose this…it just kind of happened.
This is a real problem that affects so much of our world today. Instead of getting to the root cause of a disease or injury whether it physical or mental, we are so quick to mask our symptoms…be it prescribed or self-medicated. Sarah Petruno is an amazing shaman and has tons of articles, courses, and healing sessions to help with all kinds of ailments! Click here to visit Sarah Petruno Shamanism.
The purpose of this article isn’t to bring your vibes down or shame anyone. In fact, it is the opposite. I want to explain (in my experience) what happens to someone when they pass away from substance related issues. My hope with this is to help you understand what could be going on with your loved one on the other side or just open your heart and your mind a little for those who are or have had issues with addiction.
Since I started connecting with spirit I have consistently had victims of overdose come to me. It started when I had a reading and a spirit needed my help crossing over.
They continue to come to me in different forms; sometimes overdose and sometimes they pass away from substance related issues from years before. Today’s article is going to focus on actual overdose, however, I promise to write more on this subject in the future.
I connect with all kinds of spirits, don’t get me wrong. Spirit guides, loved ones, and the higher-self are what I focus on during readings. It just so happens that lately my client’s loved-one’s have passed from substance issues, I’m starting to think that somehow this will be what I “specialize” in.
If you have had a loved one pass from an overdose and they haven’t given you the “sign” you’ve been asking for, I might have the reason.
They could be stuck. Here are a few of the repeated patterns I have seen from this type of death.
They are usually isolated and in a darkened area.
They are usually alone and have trouble verbalizing what is going on.
They are almost always confused and angry.
They don’t know or don’t want to share how they died.
After seeing this pattern so many times it started to make sense to me; if they were abusing a substance here on Earth chances are they weren’t totally happy with how they were living their life. Chances are they also felt ashamed with the path they had taken, so they carried this with them to the afterlife.
When someone is dying of cancer, they probably have loved ones (in spirit and physical) by their bedside, holding their hand, sending them love, and making their transition as easy as possible.
When someone is highly addicted to something, chances are they have isolated themselves. No matter how much we love them there isn’t much we can do unless they WANT the help. I believe that it is because of this that when they die they are still isolated. Their spirit team wants to help but the help has to be welcomed and accepted.
An Example…
The other day I gave a reading to a wonderful woman whose son had passed away. When he appeared to me he was about an 8-year-old boy, timid, and afraid to talk to me. He told me he was alone and it was dark and he smelled a hospital full of sadness. After a while of coaxing, he finally agreed to chat with me. He told me he was scared and confused and wasn’t sure what had happened. I kept trying to get a cause of death because I was so nauseous (sometimes intuitive’s take on a spirit’s pain unintentionally to figure out how they died.)
He told me he was alone and it was dark and he smelled a hospital full of sadness. After a while of coaxing, he finally agreed to chat with me. He told me he was scared and confused and wasn’t sure what had happened. I kept trying to get a cause of death because I was so nauseous (sometimes intuitive’s take on a spirit’s pain unintentionally to figure out how they died.)
As stated here I usually do automatic writing but this time I wanted to try something different; I got my client on the phone and we did a live connect with her son.
I told her what I was feeling and what I was seeing. She confirmed the nausea. Her son had something slipped in his drink, which landed him in the hospital where he became very ill and eventually passed.
With my help, his mom’s help, and his grandfather on the other side, we were able to help him cross over. Once he crossed over he became a vibrant, funny, witty, 20 something-year-old.
This was new for me. I had never had a spirit appear to me as two different ages but I think I’ve figured it out. He was reflecting the feelings of his inner-child and thus presented himself as so. When he crossed over he remembered who he was and thus took on that form to present to his mother.
While this isn’t the story of a self-induced overdose, this is a good breakdown of what happens after someone dies in such a manner. I was told via the grandfather mentioned above that because my client’s son was so lost and confused the grandfather was unable to help him until he was ready to cross over. I have heard something similar before, it kind of goes back to that old idea of asking for help when you need it!
If you have someone who has passed from a substance-related issue, talk to them. No, you won’t seem crazy….talk to them in your head. Tell them how much you love them and how they have help on the other side…they just need to ask. Tell them they deserve to go in the light and everything will be ok…it may be just the push they need from you!
With Love and Light, Ashley
P.S. I would like to give a big thank you to Amanda from Amandalinettemeder.com for encouraging me to write about this subject!