Bereaved by drug or alcohol overdose

Accidentally or intentionally, it can also come about as a result of long-term drug and alcohol use. 

There are particular issues that may arise for you which make coping with grief all the more challenging:

If the addiction was known to you before the death, this may have led to a strained or difficult relationship between you.

1. You may have known nothing about the addiction, leading to feelings of self-blame or guilt.
2. There are legal processes that need to be gone through when dealing with a death by drugs or alcohol, including referral to the coroner, post-mortem, and inquest, which can be lengthy, distressing and creates funeral delays.
3. You may feel you cannot grieve openly and publicly due to the stigma that society attaches to such deaths. Often family carers talk about how they are made to feel ashamed about their relative's death.