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Good-Bye Too Soon Kindle Edition

5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 7 ratings

Addiction is a rampant mental illness that takes hold of individuals of any age. Brandon was only a teenager when drugs took over his life. The battle raged for decades before he lost.

Randi-Lee shares the truth behind the eulogy. Having a brother with addiction created a fissure and forced the need for boundaries. Stepping away and loving him from a distance was her only way to keep herself safe.

This book goes beyond losing a brother. It delves into risk factors, constructive coping strategies, and a family’s grieving process. Reminding those left behind to forgive ourselves and the person we lost.
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BMKW6FQF
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ RB Writing (May 20, 2023)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 20, 2023
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1821 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 98 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ B0C5P5L9DN
  • Customer Reviews:
    5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 7 ratings

About the author

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Randi-Lee Bowslaugh
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Randi-Lee was born and raised in Ontario, Canada and from a young age she had a passion for helping others. She attended Niagara College and graduated at the top of her class from Community and Justice Services after completing her placement at a recovery house for alcohol and drug addictions. Post-graduation she worked at a Native Friendship Centre for two and a half years while pursuing a university education in psychology. Randi-Lee continued working in social services for another four years as an employment counselor until she left to pursue her other passions.

In 2017 Randi published her first book about mental health awareness and from there knew that this was her dream. Since then she has continued writing and expanding the genres that she writes.

Another of Randi-Lee’s passions is kickboxing, which she did for over 10 years. She was a Canadian National Champion in 2015, competed at the World’s kickboxing tournament later that year and in 2016 competed at the Pan-Am games where she received silver in her division. In 2020 she was chosen as one of the coaches for the Ontario Winter Games where she inspired and coached young athletes.

While she isn’t working, she is spending time with her two teenage children and a grand-baby. Randi tries to speak honestly and openly about her struggles with her own mental health and as a parent – wanting to ensure that no one feels alone.

Follow Randi's YouTube Channel: RB Media

Follow Randi on TikTok @randileebowslaugh

Customer reviews

5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5
7 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2023
I was lucky enough to be given an advanced copy by Randi. I knew that this was going to be a very emotional read and it surely met my expectations. Much like Randi's previous works, and I hate to repeat myself, but the same applies here, this is very raw, real, and, above all else, honest. Each chapter is developed to have purpose. While the book isn't very long, it makes the most out of its duration. I very much appreciated how Randi explored the myriad of emotions that happen when you experience trauma and loss. At first, you're numb. You sort of acknowledge something happened, but it hasn't fully set in yet. And when it comes to funeral arrangements, cleaning out houses, processing grief, etc, you go on autopilot, in order to be able to get all of the business taken care of. But once the funeral is over, and you realize that it is the last time you will see the physical presence of the deceased, and when you get rid of the last of their possessions, it strikes you that this person is now no more than some memories and a name on some paperwork. Then you begin to feel angry and sad and confused, and wonder if you did enough to help them in their lives, or if you somehow contributed to their demise. Your emotions are all over the place and it's extremely hard to find your footing. And it's very different when it's an immediate family member, too. I was estranged from my abusive father for several years before he passed, and it was a very awful experience to see just how badly his alcoholism, self-medicating, and refusal to treat some major health issues had become, as I cleaned out his house. Absolutely soul-crushing and gut-wrenching, to say the least. Because there are no more secrets at that point. What's done is done, the person is gone, and you are just left with all these questions and uncertainties, wishing you could just have one more conversation with them for some sort of clarity and closure. And it takes a long time to process all of that, in order to move forward in your life, accepting of what happened. So Randi does a really great job going into the history that she had with her older brother, and showing that he was an actual person. He may have had his mental health and substance abuse difficulties, but he was still a human being. She nails the point that we tend to look at addicts as just defunct people, who need to be swept under the rug. Like they are less than we are somehow, and don't have traumas, families, aspirations, and are not worthy of being respected or cared for. She details Brandon's upbringing, which all lead to his addiction, ranging from bullying, having his father in and out of the picture, peer pressure, inadequately treated mental health struggles, experimenting with drugs, etc All of these risk factors that created a perfect storm for an issue. And she goes fully in-depth on the laws for her brother's situation that were inadequate, and even still have many flaws in them, leaving individuals like Brandon at a huge disadvantage for proper treatment and rehabilitation. I'll never forget when my therapist told me many years ago that it was a miracle I never got addicted to drugs or attempted suicide. I thought about both, many times, and fully empathize with the struggles that come from a troubled upbringing. I was very lucky, but know that it doesn't always turn out well, and it breaks my heart to see someone like Brandon go through everything that he did. And even as an adult with her own family, Randi breaches the topic of self-preservation, which is something that I haven't seen in a book like this before. As a parent, one of your goals is to prevent your child from experiencing some of the same, unnecessary traumas that you had to endure. Sometimes your efforts are successful, while other times not so much. But you do your best to give your child a better life than you had, so that they can not be bogged down with traumas that can adversely impact the direction that they choose and have more opportunities for themselves. But in doing so, especially with a family member either struggling or in crisis, you feel those conflicting feelings once again on whether to cut off or restrict their presence amongst your family. Is this ok to do? Should I risk my child being exposed to what will probably happen if I let this person into my home? Can I trust them? Is that bad that I'm even thinking about these things? So the entire book expertly handles some very difficult, yet necessary, discussions points around the ever-growing prevalence of mental health and substance abuse challenges. And self-care is a topic that is luckily gaining steam, detailed towards the end of the book, too. As a healthcare professional, this is something that is sorely underutilized in both the healthcare and medical fields. We tend to care so much for helping others, that we neglect our own needs, which puts us at a very high risk for many physical and psychological issues. And that, of course, goes for everyone outside of these fields, too. Whether caring for an elderly parent, sick relative, a friend or sibling with substance abuse challenges, etc, there are many scenarios where a caregiver can be present to a fault. But self-care is explored, as are resources that people can utilize to help themselves and others around them, too. So to sum it all up, this is a very powerful read. But a very important one. And I want to, once again, thank Randi for sharing her experiences with the world.
Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2023
Canadian author Randi-Lee Bowslaugh earned degrees from Niagara College for Community and Justice Services, and in psychology, and served in social services as an employment counselor. She is also a highly awarded kickboxer, serving as a coach for the Ontario Winter Games. Her books to date - CONVERSATIONS, EMBRACING ME, A MOTHER’S TRUTH, A LITTLE SCARE, THOUGHTS OF A WANDERER, a series of Social Studies for Neurodiverse Kids, children’s books, self-care journals, and this memoir - GOODBYE TOO SOON, a response to losing her brother to drug abuse.

Writing this brief but pungent story about her brother’s drug addiction and struggles, the author maintains an inviting conversational tone, evident as she opens with, ‘ It had been two weeks since I had last spoken to my brother, Brandon. Before that, it was six months, and before that, years. Unfortunately, I didn’t speak with him as much as I would have liked, but it was a necessary part of maintaining healthy boundaries.’ And from that moment she gets a phone call that her brother Brandon is dead form an overdose. Capturing the readers’ attention with that degree of immediacy allows the author to survey her story - her relation ship to her brother, his turbulent life, and her insights about addiction and drugs, indications of abuse, risk factors, support groups, coping, grief, etc - in a most informative manner. The book is both sensitive and valuable for all families and friends as drug addiction proliferates today. Recommended.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2023
This was a heartbreaking and honest book on grief, loss, and the painful path of addiction. The author remarkably conveys the emotional rollercoaster that comes with losing someone so close to addiction while also threading through the painful realities of maintaining healthy boundaries and yet desperately clinging to the hope of reuniting with the person that has lost themselves to this mental illness.

The balance between emotional storytelling and clinical, detailed revelations regarding addiction and mental health concerns was great to see come to life on the page. It kept the reader emotionally invested while showcasing some of the root causes of addiction, the impact on both the addict and those in the addict’s life, and the shocking realities of life while living with addiction as a whole. The way the author was able to showcase the person her brother was outside of the addiction as well was really emotional and heartfelt and made for some compelling reading.

Top reviews from other countries

Krystal
5.0 out of 5 stars This book is very true on how things went
Reviewed in Canada on June 6, 2023
I’m giving this book a 5 star review cause it’s was real raw and the truth through his sister Randi’s eyes. Brandon is my children’s father ( 2) children and our youngest daughter baily loved reading it also. This is a boom we will treasure forever . And we really recommend everyone reads this book so they can see the raw truth on how addiction hurts everyone involved . Brandon will be forever missed but his story I know will help others I’m similar situations. Thank you Randi for writing this you did amazing
Amber Bielecky
5.0 out of 5 stars Very powerful book
Reviewed in Canada on June 11, 2023
Randi shared such a difficult time with great honesty, which takes great courage. I hope others find comfort in this book, as I did ❤️

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