Ever looked at a mum struggling with alcohol or drugs and thought, “How could she choose that over her kids?”

What if that question is part of the problem?

In this episode of the Sh*ts F*cked podcast, Paris sits down with Karen, senior counsellor and AOD programs officer at Luma, one of the largest and longest-running women’s health services in Australia. Karen brings her own lived experience as the daughter of an alcoholic, the sister of drug addicts, and a mother who suffered postnatal depression in silence for years.

Together they go somewhere most podcasts won’t… the reality of motherhood and addiction, and the shame that makes it nearly impossible for women to ask for help.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

  • The impossible standard society places on mothers, especially when alcohol or drug use is involved
  • Why addiction in motherhood is not as simple as “choosing drugs over your children”
  • What actually happens when a pregnant woman is still using, and why fear of Department of Child Protection (DCP) keeps women silent
  • The Wanda’s Clinic at King Edward; a Perth program Karen describes as unlike anything she’s seen
  • The reality of “mum and wine” culture, and why some substance use is normalised while other struggles are heavily stigmatised
  • Karen’s own postnatal depression and what it cost her
  • Why shame never creates lasting change, and what actually does
  • What Luma does to support women, families, pregnant women, and mothers in recovery

Most people assume a mother in addiction doesn’t love her children enough to stop. Karen dismantles that completely, and what she replaces it with is one of the most important reframes in this entire season.

About Karen

Karen is a senior counsellor and alcohol and other drugs programs officer at Luma. With a master’s degree in counselling and six years of frontline experience supporting women and families through addiction and recovery, she runs drop-in groups, one-on-one support, and Coffee Talk; a weekly Monday morning Facebook Live on the Women’s Recovery Community page. She brings her own lived experience to every room she walks into.

👉 Want to connect with Karen or our AOD program?