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The mindset holding back improvement of a crisis
Even as treatment options for opioid addiction expand across the U.S., one of the biggest obstacles to recovery from opioid addiction isn’t access to care – it’s stigma.
The phrase “fueled by stigma, fanned by apathy,” said by a user on an online forum, perfectly characterizes the biggest hurdle we face in the opioid crisis: stigma. When a person falls into a spiral of opioid addiction, people unjustly characterize them in an inhumane way. They are seen as less than everyone, in many cases, left to fend for themselves during one of their most vulnerable times. Addiction Policy Forum’s article, Anti-Stigma Initiative, found that more than 80% of Americans said that they would not want to associate with someone with a substance use disorder. But a statistic doesn’t fully grasp the true essence of this problem.
Gary Mendell, founder of the nonprofit Shatterproof, spoke on this issue in a panel discussion, saying people aren’t “willing to associate with someone as a friend, coworker, neighbor” who is going through opioid addiction.
Mendell then shared his personal experience. He had been through this same experience with his son, Brian, who he lost to suicide even after Brian completed treatment for substance use disorder. Brian had gotten the opportunity to go through treatment and fully recover from the addiction but still couldn’t fully blend into society because of all the judgement around him.
With no one for him to talk to, he was isolated. He was kept out of the same opportunities and social circles even though he was the same person before and after his addiction. This isolation affected him so deeply, to the point where he could not live through it anymore.
Waypoint Recovery Center has found that, for people “without a strong support system, relapse becomes more likely as people are more vulnerable to triggers and cravings without the support of family and friends.”
We need to work as a society to change our view on people going through a substance use disorder and work on changing the narrative so that recovery doesn’t happen in isolation. It depends on strong support networks — family, community, and employment. Without this, the odds of success are much lower.
We need to be there when we find out that our friend, our coworker, or anyone in our community is struggling. This battle should not be fought alone, but as a society in changing the way we react.
Our instinct should be to connect, not judge.
This article was written as part of a program to educate youth and others about Alameda County’s opioid crisis, prevention and treatment options. The program is funded by the Alameda County Behavioral Health Department and the grant is administered by Three Valleys Community Foundation.
