Member-only story
Breaking Down Barriers: Moving from “Us vs. Them” to “We” in Addiction Recovery
How Families Can Overcome the “Us vs. Them” Mentality and Foster Unity in Addiction Recovery
When a loved one is struggling with addiction, it’s easy for families to slip into an “us vs. them” mentality. Lines get drawn, boundaries established, bottom lines created. But this divide often does more harm than good on the road to recovery.
Rather than exclusion, persons with addiction need inclusion. They need a community of support, not abandonment. As family members and loved ones, how can we move from division to unity? From “us vs. them” to simply “we”?
The Danger of Labels
Labels like “addict” are convenient shortcuts, but they also carry stigma. They reduce someone to a single issue rather than recognizing their full humanity. Focusing too much on labels can make family members see their loved one as fundamentally different. But those who struggle with addiction are still the same people underneath.
Moving Past Stereotypes
Along with labels come stereotypes. Media portrayals of addiction often show the extreme: arrests, homelessness, reckless behavior. Your loved one likely does not match the…