The Counsellor

It's painful to watch someone you love self-destruct, but it's worse learning to accept they're never coming back.

Danny was the brightest star. Adored by his family, he had a strong moral code and a powerful desire to help others-but his own demons were never far behind. Piece by piece, drug addiction stole Danny away, leaving nothing but pain behind.

In this raw and deeply personal account, Alison Kerwin shares the heartache of trying to support her brother through his addiction, the guilt of feeling responsible for fixing him, and the devastating impact his death had on her entire family.

During their last conversation, mere days before he died, Danny told Alison he'd like to be a counsellor. She scoffed at the time, but promised to look into it for him, as she always did. Still, she couldn't pretend it didn't make her laugh. 

But she was wrong. Through his death, Danny taught her hard lessons about addiction and mental health, and made her realise once and for all that the only person you can ever hope to fix is yourself.