“Yeah, my uncle is an….he has something wrong.”
“My sister is going to a….she is getting help.”
“I suffer from an….I have trouble with….”
If we could just say the words, we would be better off. But we don’t.
The obstacle with stigmas is that we are oblivious to their existence. We are ignorant until we are told and told – again and again. Until we start to see news covering parades and rallies; then and only then are we finally enlightened to this stigma. Before then we were immune. Well, we might’ve had a feeling, but we didn’t want to admit it. I think we are all open-minded people and we wish for the proper advancement of humanity, but sometimes we just sit and wait. We wait for things to unfold by themselves naturally. *Que John Mayer* Advocating for a cause that goes against the grain takes courage and if you are not directly affected by stigma or stereotype what’s the point? It doesn’t seem necessary to evolve until it’s the norm. We like to be progressive, but only when it feels convenient. When looking back on history, we all believe we would have been the ones to advocate for women’s’ suffrage and march beside MLK during the Civil Rights Movement. But then again that is easy to say now because hindsight is always 20/20. Why has the LGBT community had such a difficult time? The Gay rights movement gained traction and attention around 1980 but required 35 years until they were finally able to marry throughout our country. Laws can be changed in a manner of weeks, yet there is an incredibly slow progression. Stigma. It keeps us from focusing and addressing pertinent issues. It prevents us from fixing problems. So, just like gay marriage, we slowly wait and wait for a group to be de-stigmatized and gradually the laws and equality follow. Stigma is the sludge of societal progression. In every societal movement, there are rooted negative feelings or stigmas. To combat these stigmas, awareness of these stereotypes are brought to light and mitigated. When you hear “awareness” you likely think of the ribbons or ice-bucket challenges. While these are great for raising awareness for the disease itself, there’s no stigma behind the illness, just lack of knowledge. It’s easy to tell someone they are unaware of information; it is another to change someone’s mindset. AIDS, on the other hand, was a new disease carrying a stigma rooted in homophobic bigotry. For this reason, the advocacy was not very widely supported. Mental health is one of those topics that has been gaining traction recently – and for a good reason! It’s a topic that has been hushed at every turn. Now that we have begun to discuss it openly, the portrait of being restrained by straight-jackets within cushioned walls has started to diminish. We are finally viewing it as a standard disease. As a result, more people are getting the help they need. Alright, now take a deep breath and let’s shift focus slightly. How do you feel when you hear the word “Addiction”? You might picture something like the photo below. Is it not a very pleasant image or feeling right? For me, it is rather unsettling. I even start to feel very critical of these people. Addiction is almost somewhere in between a bad habit and a disease. It is not entirely synonymous with a bad habit because we view it as a debilitating action. But then again this debilitating action has been brought upon themselves, unlike an illness. Because of this notion that addiction is preventable, we feel little empathy. As a matter of fact, we feel the opposite. “You knew the dangers going into it and you knew how much it was affecting your health, relationships, and life but despite all that you still decide to use.” It’s understandable to think critically. We’ve all grown up knowing the dangers of drugs. When hearing “addict”, we just categorize them as someone with a flawed moral compass. They partook despite knowing the consequences. It is difficult to view someone using drugs without viewing them in a negative light. We even tend to label some as criminals. A large part of why we feel these unfavorable feelings towards drug users is the perception created by the media and government. Look at these types of criminal acts. Ever play the game “which one doesn’t belong”?
- Murder
- Rape
- Arson
- Sale of illegal drugs
- Grand theft
- Kidnapping
All of these acts constitutes a felony. When we put drugs on the same level as burglary, rape and murder, it sets a tone. This thinking has developed a problem. Individuals with a substance abuse addiction know this viewpoint. They know their actions were preventable. They know their actions are illegal, but instead, they are where they are. Instead of solely dealing with their substance abuse, they have to deal with their self-resentment, as well. “I messed up my life. Why did I have to start using? Why do I continue to use?!” Sort of rubbing salt in the wounds right? Seeking help is hard. It means admitting you have a problem. This alone takes a lot of courage. When you add that to categorizing yourself as unintelligent or morally flawed, it makes it almost impossible. Most people would rather live with their affliction than label themselves publicly as deviant. 11.2% of those suffering from substance use disorders actually receive the treatment they need. This is why we all need to start caring. Addiction can and most likely will affect each of us – either directly or indirectly. Despite common belief, addiction is not reserved for the degenerates of our world. Substance abuse does not discriminate by race or class. It may appear addiction only affects the underprivileged, but their impact is much more severe and apparent. If an individual has the means to support their addiction financially, the repercussions are much less visible yet still detrimental. In fact, substance use disorders affect almost one in every 12 Americans (8.1% percent of people 12 or older to be exact). If you still don’t care, well how about this – addiction isn’t a choice. Yeah, that’s right, I said it! No one chooses to lose their health, family, friends, and job. But you might say, “well, they decided to try the drug in the first place.” It’s a very common rebuttal but according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), slightly over half of the surveyed people reported they are current drinkers. This means statistically, around half the population of the United States over the age of 12 has consumed alcohol within the last 30 days. Alcohol is more addictive than marijuana, speed, caffeine or cocaine. If that is the case, then why do only 15 million (6.2%) of Americans have an Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)? Why do we blame the 6.2% for their actions when there are 49.8% other Americans performing the same actions without consequences? What it boils down to is that other factors influence addictiveness other than the substance itself. Genetics can have a considerable influence on whether or not someone develops a substance use disorder. Environmental factors are also another significant factor. When I say environmental factors, I am not referring to how prevalent the drug is in everyday life. While yes, this is a factor, the more prominent factor that contributes to addiction is how the individual views their life. Let’s take a look at Dev. Dev is an Indian student. While his aunt suffers from depression and his sister has light anxiety, he does not have any family history of addiction. Because of his race, Dev is teased. He begins to feel self-resentment and overall negative feelings about life. One day, Dev has his wisdom teeth removed and is prescribed a painkiller. When he takes this opioid, he feels great. Not only is his pain gone but all of his anxiety and negative feelings about himself are suppressed. Thus, the drug is much more appealing to Dev than the ordinary individual. The feeling he receives from the drug is much more enjoyable to him because he finally feels normal. Now, even if he stole the pill at a party, could we blame him for becoming addicted? It is not like Dev chose to be teased or chose to be susceptible to mental illness. What we must learn to understand is that addiction is not a choice. Addiction is a coping mechanism for underlying issues. These issues could be depression, stress, anxiety, trauma, PTSD, or a multitude of mental illnesses. Could you fully blame someone for getting an F on a test if they had ADHD? So, much like diabetes or asthma, while there is technically no “cure” for substance abuse, there is help. Countless behavioral and psychological therapies are available to help ease the underlying symptoms of substance abuse. Unfortunately, due to the stigma surrounding addiction and mental health, those who are affected are afraid to seek help. So what I ask of you is to talk about it! Speak openly about your substance abuse. Speak to your loved one about their substance abuse. We must approach the topic with love instead of criticism. Refer to addiction as a “substance use disorder” or “alcohol use disorder” to label it medically, so we start to associate it with a disease and not a criminal act. Stigma is the most powerful barrier to today’s opioid epidemic. Break open the stigma! I realize this is a heavy topic and talking about it makes us uncomfortable, but that is precisely why we need to talk about it.
