Caleb’s mother hid her affinity for addictive substances much better than her husband. Her addiction to amphetamines and heroin was obvious to anyone with any knowledge of drugs, but to Caleb and his father her manic personality changes simply resembled the onset of middle age.

Caleb’s mother injected her drugs in unexpected places in order to keep it a secret. She endured the pain of sticking needles into the webbing of her toes and hands in order to get her fix. However, her accidental use of a contaminated needle led to her contracting HIV, which was one of the major factors leading to her eventual suicide.