Addiction Is A Virus?
No, addiction isn’t a virus. But, I had been led to believe that experiencing addiction is exceptional to the point where people who “have it” needed to be isolated from friends, family and community for months in order to be successfully treated. I myself was extracted and sent somewhere far away to get “better”.
I actually came to believe that society needed secret meetings and even separate high schools for those who use drugs in order to treat the “problem”.
It’s like addiction is contagious and needs to be contained. How did that happen?
It happened because of deeply rooted stigma, as well as dis and misinformation led by those who saw an opportunity to control people they saw as different and those not conforming to social norms and by the medical community who saw an opportunity to profit from chaotic drug use.
To move forward we get to finally accept that drugs are not and have never been the problem but rather the solution to a quandary, like emotional and/or physical pain, poverty, discrimination, inequality, racism.
To avenge the great loss of life, due to stigma, that we’ve experienced as a nation and the huge wave of grief that follows, we immediately get to hold ourselves to a higher standard of care and support and advocacy. This is the only way to disintegrate the stigma that kills so many.
Here are a few things we can do:
- Contact those who represent you at the local, state and federal level and demand increased access to affordable, scientifically validated and evidence-based addiction treatment and support.
- Join an advocacy group, like Shatterproof, that wants to fight addiction and mental health related stigma.
- Stop referring to people as addicts, and substance abusers. Words matter!
If you would, please let me know what actions you are taking and how it makes you feel.
