A MOTHER who has battled with her son’s five-year drug addiction, will tomorrow night open the doors to a support service for parents and relatives who find themselves in a similar situation.

Brenda Lennon, from North Oxford, has seen her son Lee, 26, go to prison and fail various rehabilitation attempts after he got hooked on heroin.

Last year she took the agonising decision to throw him out of her home.

Now, with the help of the Gap Project, in Park End Street, Oxford, Mrs Lennon has set up a weekly support group for parents and friends of addicts.

Mrs Lennon, 47, said: “I’ve come across quite a few people who have gone through the same thing I went through.

“There’s not much support for addicts, let alone their families.

“It will be a group for parents, family and close relatives who know someone who has been on drugs or is recovering from drugs.

“People will be able to get support and the Gap Project has offered its facilities. There will also be a trained psychologist, who specialises in drug and addiction counselling.

“Before each group starts there will be a half-hour session for private counselling.

“After that the group session will carry on for about an hour.

“It’s such a touchy subject, so it’s all confidential. What is said in that room will stay in there, and people don’t have to leave their names.”

After telling her story to the Oxford Mail last August, Mrs Lennon turned the publicity she got to good use.

She said: “I told my story to a couple of magazines and I donated all the money I got for that to the Gap.

“They’ve been more than generous, so now it’s my turn, so parents don’t have to go through it like I did on my own. It will be somewhere they can get some support.”

Andy Swapp, a senior practitioner at the Gap Project, who specialises in dealing with alcohol addiction in young adults, will be offering counselling at the support group.

He said: “There’s really very little statutory support for parents of addicts.

“This group is about knowing there’s someone who will listen to problems and hopefully give them the chance to discuss these issues and build their own confidence.”

The weekly sessions will begin at 6pm on Tuesdays.

For more details, contact the Gap Project on 01865 201818 or visit thegapoxford.org tairs@oxfordmail.co.uk