Understanding Loss Due to Addiction

Author: Susan Ways
Published: Mon 18 Aug 2025
Episode Link: https://tendrilsofgrief.libsyn.com/understanding-loss-due-to-addiction

In today's episode of Tendrils of Grief, we have the privilege of speaking with Patricia Roos, a former professor of sociology at Rutgers University, whose life took a tragic turn in 2015 when her 25-year-old son, Alex, passed away from a heroin overdose.

Guided by her academic background in sociology, Patricia embarked on a deeply personal journey to make sense of the devastating loss that her family endured. This journey led her to write a compelling and insightful sociological memoir, Surviving Alex: A Mother's Story of Love, Loss, and Addiction, which was published by Rutgers University Press in May 2024.

Patricia brings a unique perspective to the conversation, blending her professional expertise with her lived experience as a grieving mother. In this episode, she shares her insights into the complex factors surrounding addiction, the challenges faced by families navigating this crisis, and the process of healing and rebuilding life after such a profound loss.

Join us for a poignant and enlightening discussion as Patricia opens up about her personal story, the creation of her memoir, and her mission to bring awareness and understanding to the multifaceted issue of addiction and its impact on families.

Episode Highlights

· Grief and Loss

· Addiction and Recovery

· Heroin Overdose

· Sociological Perspectives on Grief

· Healing After Loss

· Parenting Through Addiction

· Memoir of Grief

· Surviving Alex book

· Rutgers University Press

· Coping with Child's Death

· Sociology of Addiction