A Mother’s Struggle With Her Daughter’s Opioid Addiction

A Mother’s Struggle With Her Daughter’s Opioid Addiction
Katie Cavanagh (R) at age 17 with her mother Maureen. Courtesy of Maureen Cavanagh
Andrew Thomas
Updated:

Heroin and other opioid addictions are an arduous habit to break, and they can nearly destroy the lives of entire families. One young woman was in the throes of addiction, and her mother searched for her for years.

Katie Cavanagh of Danvers, Massachusetts first started dabbling with drugs when she was 19. At first, she experimented with hallucinogens like LSD and mushrooms.