All the Pieces When a Loved One Dies From Substance Use

A picture book to help children understand the loss of a loved one to drug overdose.

Often, children who lose a loved one to overdose are not truthfully told what happened to the person who died, because of the stigma associated with this type of death. They often assume that the death was their fault (rather than that it was the symptom of a disease) and that it’s not okay to remember their loved one, nor is it okay to feel angry about the death.

This book aims to help parents and practitioners address these specific areas and provide validation/ normalization of these grief responses.

Hallie Riggs, MSW, LICSW is a licensed clinical social worker. She lives in Rhode Island.