Brenden Bickerstaff-Clark wanted to show addicts how drugs damage families. So on Monday he shared a video on Facebook and YouTube of him telling his eight-year-old son that his mother had died of a heroin overdose.
The Facebook video has been watched more than 28 million times. The YouTube videos and repostings, several million more. But was it appropriate to post such a raw and distressing video?
As the US battles a heroin addiction epidemic, people around the world are arguing this now – from experts in psychology and drug abuse through to the average person with a view.
Here’s a bit of what is said in the video:
“I have something to tell you, OK?… Mommy died last night,” Brenden tells his son as he holds his hand across the table.
“What? What do you mean, my mum? How?” the shocked boy asks.
“From drugs,” he is told.
The boy suddenly breaks down and weeps and Brenden’s friend hugs him.
It’s harsh and raw but the Ohio dad, a recovering addict himself, explains his reasoning in his Facebook caption.
“This for any and every addict with children. Today I had to tell my 8-year-old son that his mommy died from a drug overdose last night. This is the realization and reality of our disease. Don’t let this disease have to make someone tell your child that your dead because of drugs. This was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. My son has no mother because of heroin… Kinda hard to hear but u can hear what we’re saying.
Please get help so our children don’t have to suffer. This wasn’t staged. This was real. I had someone record this so addicts with children can see the seriousness of our epidemic. I am a recovering addict myself with 94 days clean today… please share n maybe help save a child’s parent’s life.
wedorecover
godblesstheoneswhocouldnt”
Here is his Facebook post. The raw video which was posted on YouTube and is longer is later in this story. WARNING: Distressing content.
There are 90,000 comments on this FB post – and a lot are scathing, distressed, angry, devastated, loathing and critical. People are watching the video in their millions but many are not happy about it.
“By showing your son’s heartache, you’ve achieved losing his trust in you as his protector and made him a target for other kids to pick on. You can see how uncomfortable he is knowing he’s been filmed on and one day he’ll reproach you for it. Think of your child first and take the video down, he’s lost his mother so don’t make him lose his father too as a result of this video.”
“I don’t care what the point of posting this video was, this should’ve been a private moment! So not cool 😢 my heart hurts for this little boy. It’s such a shame that people feel the need to share everything on social media!”
“This is supposed to be an intimate moment shared between a father and son…and they recorded it? Will there be a go-pro at the funeral as well?”
But there were many supportive comments too – a lot from people who have been touched by the current US heroin epidemic.
“I think one day this little boy will see how much his father loved him by seeing this video. I guess that is way too positive for all of you. The man is not that long in recovery himself. No matter what people may think I feel that this came more from love.”
“Don’t listen to these negative people, you just make sure you do what you need to do for that boy. You are all he has now. Some people are too simple-minded to grasp the message you are trying to deliver. Good luck to you my friend.”
“If this video helps one person…it was worth posting. So sorry for your loss. Stay strong for your son because he needs you more than ever now.”
Here is Brenden’s video from YouTube:
Heroin deaths in US are skyrocketing
Heroin use, and resulting deaths and overdoses, have reached epidemic proportions in the US. It has become the drug of choice again, judging by the heroin overdose death figures which numbers skyrocketed from about 2000 deaths in 2002 to almost 11,000 in 2014. Every day in the US about 120 people die from heroin and painkillers.
Heroin is cheap and widely available on city streets throughout the US and users are making their buys and shooting up as soon as they can, often in public places, police have reported.
In fact, US police are so fed up, they have even posted of user overdosing and being revived.
What about heroin in Australia
Drug experts have warned that Australia could also start to see heroin use in epidemic proportions. Earlier this year Odyssey House, one of the largest drug rehabs in NSW, reported a significant spike in admissions of heroin addicts over the past year. In 2014-2015 there was a 165% increase in heroin addiction cases at the drug rehab centre, and heroin addiction now accounts for 29% of the total number of patients admitted.
Apparently the current supply of heroin in Australia has that double whammy of problems for addicts and users – it is both cheaper and purer than for quite some time. Because of this there is even a prediction that heroin use may surpass methamphetamine.
Prescription drug addiction in the past 10 years has also become a major concern with Australia having the second highest rate of prescription pill addiction in the world only after America.
But one of our main illicit substance abuse problems here is still ice.
