ABSTRACT
This chapter poses the question of how a life and death involving drug and/or alcohol use may be remembered and memorialised, both publically and privately, given the stigma of substance use and the painful and disturbing memories of the deceased’s life and death. In response, the chapter draws on interviews conducted with 106 adults bereaved by substance use to examine their experiences of memory-making with reference to two main areas that were prominent in their recollections. These include the more public aspects of remembering, particularly the funeral and how it was organised and what it was like to be there, as well as press reporting of the death and the inquest and the impact of these on the way this death is socially constructed. Interviewees also recalled more private aspects of remembering, such as not wanting or finding it too painful to remember, or struggling to salvage fond memories among a predominance of bad. Drawing on concepts of post-traumatic growth and continuing bonds, the chapter also identifies and discusses a range of creative ways some people responded to their loss, including projects designed to raise awareness of substance use, challenge social stigma and support others in similar situations.
