Stand Up and Be Counted
Bum, loser, their own fault, lacking character, aren’t trying hard enough, bad parents. I have seen and heard these words used in relation to people suffering from addiction more times than I care to think about. And they are just plain wrong. Addiction is a brain disease, not a moral shortcoming.
Scientific evidence shows that drug use causes long-term changes in the brain. Getting clean is just the first step. Addiction is a life-long disease, just as much as diabetes or arthritis. And just like other diseases, it can and must be managed with ongoing help and treatment. Since addiction is mostly thought of as a moral/criminal issue and not a health issue, it is not being managed long term. Rather, the addict gets thrown into the criminal justice system where they may be forced to get clean, but treatment is not an option. You don’t just get clean and you’re suddenly cured. It requires vigilance and ongoing support. Without a support plan, the addict doesn’t have a lot of hope of staying in recovery.
And, when addiction is thought of as a moral issue not a health issue, stigma becomes a big part of the problem. Stigma drives people into the shadows…the users, their friends, their families all carry shame. When my son suffered from addiction, no one knew. I told only 2 people what was going on. Not because I was ashamed of him, because I was not, but because I knew I would be judged and so would he. It’s hard enough to go through all that pain—and make no mistake, watching someone you love slowly dying is painful, even without the added burden of people thinking bad things about your child and about all your shortcomings as a person, parent, and role model.
Now that I have learned so much about addiction, I refuse to live in the shadows. I speak honestly and openly about my son and his struggles. About the beautiful person he was and how he hated the drugs and their power over him. There is no reason to be ashamed. If you need help, ask for it. If you have found recovery, talk about it! Share your journey with others. Stand up and be proud of your recovery. When people recover from cancer, everyone celebrates. It should be no different when you recover from addiction. Congratulations, I am so proud of you!
Please help bring addiction out of the shadows, and share your story. It’s easy. Just share in one of these two ways:
1) Go to the Heroes in Recovery website www.heroesinrecovery.com/stories and share your story here. Say Pam sent you.
2) Message me on facebook (Pam Adams Katchuk) and we can talk in person or you can text me your story.
In love and light,
Pam