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Mum, Can You Lend Me Twenty Quid? cover art

Mum, Can You Lend Me Twenty Quid?

By: Elizabeth Burton-Phillips
Narrated by: Elizabeth Burton-Phillips
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Summary

Elizabeth Burton-Phillips is a teacher, an ordinary middle-class mother who had always tried to do the best for her children. She never imagined that her identical twin sons, who had been doing so well at school, would become involved in drugs. She was shocked when they were suspended from school for smoking cannabis, but this was just the start of a terrible, unimaginable journey - culminating in the knock on the door in the early hours by the police. 

They gave her the devastating news that her son Nick had killed himself in despair at his heroin addiction. Since his death, Elizabeth has campaigned tirelessly to make parents aware of the pain and suffering caused to families by drug addiction and her surviving twin, Simon, now drug-free, has contributed his own thoughts to this inspiring and moving book.

©2008 Elizabeth Burton-Phillips (P)2020 Audible, Ltd

What listeners say about Mum, Can You Lend Me Twenty Quid?

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Shocking, devastating and inspirational

I would highly recommend this to everyone. None of us know if or when our lives might be affected by drugs. Addiction not only affects the addict but the people who love them and support them.
An inspirational read.

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Heartbreaking read.

Although I thankfully have never had to deal with these issues, I found it the most moving, sad but inspirational story that I have listened to in a long while. Quite a few tears were shed and I also found myself thinking of my own grown up boys and how possibly by the skin of my teeth I have managed to avoid such trauma.

It very much brought it home, how such horrendous addictions could affect our own lives at any point.

I did find Elizabeth’s voice quite hard to connect with at first as it is quite clipped and unemotional. However, I would encourage people to stick with it as you soon do connect very much with her pain, sorrow, bravery, trauma and utter love for her sons even thought that love didn’t always help matters.

A wonderful book.

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Thank you for writing this

My only son is a drug addict and we are trying to navigate our way through this. The support of Drugfam has been so valuable and helpful to me. I’ve still got so much to learn to help myself and I appreciate Elizabeth’s frank disclosure about the reality of addiction for us as a family. Thank you again.

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narration is awful might be better to just read

so disappointed with this book mainly due to the narration. its narrated by the author who, considering she wrote it herself, pauses in all the wrong places which is really distracting. She also has the most boring voice so it's not an easy listen. If the subject matter is of interest I suggest you read and not attempt to listen!

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it's a difficult listen

not for the story although that isn't written well. the narration is mind numbing . I'm not sure when she switches to herself or her sons . I feel for this mother but also feel she enabled their behaviour and is not able to see that maybe some parenting or lack of in early years maybe the start of an issue .

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