The stigma of drug addiction can make it difficult for people with an addiction to drugs to get the help they need. This can lead to people staying addicted for long periods of time, or even dying before they are able to get treatment.
In this blog, The Beekeeper looks at stigmas encountered by people with substance abuse problems, and comes up with solutions regarding how we can reduce stigmas related to drug addiction.
At The Beekeeper, most of our team has had first-hand experience of addiction. We believe in treating all people with compassion, no matter what they have done. If you would like to hear more about our approach to addiction treatment, contact us today on +66 90 893 5296.
What is Drug Addiction?
As of 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that about 270 million people worldwide, or more than 5% of the population between ages 15-64 use illegal and/or psychoactive drugs [1], including cannabis, opioids and prescription pain medication, and psychostimulants such as amphetamines, cocaine, and heroin [2]. Of these 270 million, as of 2019, it was reported by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) that 35 million suffer from drug or substance use disorders.
Substance use disorder is a mental health condition that causes a person to be unable to control their use of substances, such as drugs or alcohol due to changes occurring in that person’s brain and behavior after use. Many people with substance use disorder also have a co-occurring mental health condition, such as anxiety, depression, or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) [4].
Statistics surrounding the prevalence of this disorder show that nearly 13% of people who use illegal drugs, will at some point in their lifetime, develop a substance use disorder. Of these millions of people, the amount that receive treatment is shockingly low; the UNODC reports only 1 in 7 people with a substance use disorder will receive treatment [3].
Given the prevalence of this disorder and the degree to which it can negatively impact a person’s life, it is tremendously important to improve the accessibility of care for these individuals. One of the primary barriers to accessing care that contributes to this low rate is the stigma of drug addiction and seeking treatment for it.
The Stigmas of Drug Addiction
Stigma refers to negative thoughts, words, and views that are placed on a person or a specific situation [5]. They are a form of prejudice, often based on misconceptions and false assumptions, that leads to misjudgment, discrimination, and often the mistreatment of those being stigmatized [5, 6].
People with substance use disorders are some of the people most affected by stigma [5, 6]. The stigma of drug addiction can create challenging obstacles for those afflicted, making it difficult to get support from family and friends, and access other necessities for the recovery and management of their illness. There are several common stigmas and stereotypes placed on people with substance use disorders.
A study from 2005 asked people who have current, or had past substance use issues, what the words ‘stigma’ and ‘stereotype’ meant to them [7]. They responded:
- Negative judgement
- Judgement based on one aspect of a person’s life
- Long-lasting labels
- Disgrace
- Embarrassment and shame
- Something you are not proud of and want to hide
- Being treated differently from the rest of society
- Hating yourself
These stigmas have various negative effects on a person’s life and overall wellbeing. Just some of them include [5-7]:
- A violation of human rights (i.e., lack of medical care, housing, and/or food)
- A lack of ability to find employment (i.e., losing jobs because of ongoing substance use struggles, inability to get employed due to known substance use issues)
- Internalised negative beliefs (i.e., self-hate, shame, believing negative things said about yourself, lack of self-esteem and worsened mental health)
- Isolation (i.e., social exclusion, rejection)
- Reduced willingness or effort put towards seeking treatment and accessing healthcare
- Exacerbating and continued drug use (i.e., using drugs to cope with negative feelings and attitudes placed on the individual)
Addiction Stigmas in Medical Settings
In addition to this, there are very specific experiences of the stigma of drug addiction and stereotypes people with substance use disorder tend to have. Some of the most damaging addiction stigmas occur in medical settings, which in many cases results in people with substance use disorder not seeing the value in seeking treatment, directly contributing to this low 1:7 treatment statistic [3].
A common experience for people with substance use disorders is shaming from medical doctors and other healthcare providers [8], including dentists [9]. A frequent occurrence in hospitals and emergency rooms is the wrongful assumption by healthcare providers that the drug or alcohol problems these patients have are their own fault and a result of their own poor choices [10]. Some physicians have lower regard for these patients [8], leading to substandard care and in some cases, rejection of treatment entirely [8, 10].
People with substance use issues internalise these experiences, resulting in feelings of shame and a refusal to seek treatment in the future. This type of viewpoint and behavior is driven in part by negative labeling, a lack of compassion and understanding, demonising, and a hyper focus on criminalising drug misuse rather than viewing and treating it as a disease. All of these behaviors are driven by underlying stigma of drug addiction.
How can we Reduce Substance Use Disorder Stigmas?
Reducing the stigma of drug addiction and similar conditions is one of the best and most important mechanisms for improving access to care. By reducing these stigmas through the ways we think about, speak about, and act towards those with substance use disorder, their medical treatment, societal treatment, and livelihoods can improve immensely.
Ways to address and reduce stigma that have been repeatedly recommended by both researchers and policymakers alike include [5-7, 10-13].
- Educating people, including students, healthcare professionals, and the general public; addressing biases and inaccuracies about substance use disorder
- Portraying people as human beings and highlighting that people with substance use issues come from many different backgrounds, and anyone can struggle with them or development this disorder
- Being selective and careful about words and language
- Avoiding using hurtful, dehumanising labels that mark people as less-than (i.e., ‘druggie’, ‘crackhead’, ‘junkie’, etc.)
- Treating people with respect, as you would any other person
- Changing the language used when discussing substance use disorder. For example: replacing ‘bad drug habit’ with ‘illness,’ replacing ‘abuse’ with ‘use’ and replacing ‘abuser’with ‘person with substance use disorder’
- Being compassionate: listen to those living with this disorder, do so without judgement, display kindness, and offer support however you can
- Raising awareness within the community: show and explain to people the impact substance use disorder and the stigmas surrounding it can have on people and their communities
- Speaking out against the stigma of drug addiction and speaking up when hearing or witnessing mistreatment being done towards someone because of their drug use
Taking these actions is one of the most impactful ways to improve life for those struggling with substance use disorder.
Drug Addiction Treatment at The Beekeeper
At The Beeekeper, we believe that the shame surrounding drug addiction can keep people trapped in a cycle of addiction. One of our roles, then, is freeing the people who come to our centre from these feelings of shame they may have developed during their addiction. We find this plays a crucial role in allowing these people to remain substance free after leaving our center.
For more information on our approach to drug addiction treatment, contact us on +66 90 893 5296.
References
- https://www.who.int/health-topics/drugs-psychoactive#tab=tab_2
- https://drugabusestatistics.org/
- https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/2019/June/world-drug-report-2019_-35-million-people-worldwide-suffer-from-drug-use-disorders-while-only-1-in-7-people-receive-treatment.html
- https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/substance-use-and-mental-health/
- https://www.heretohelp.bc.ca/visions-stigma-and-discrimination-vol2/stigma-addiction-project
- https://substanceabusepolicy.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13011-020-00288-0
- https://www.heretohelp.bc.ca/sites/default/files/visions_stigma_discrim.pdf
- https://www.statnews.com/2020/12/08/stigma-weaponized-helps-fuel-addiction-crisis/
- https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0177388
- https://www.drugabuse.gov/about-nida/noras-blog/2020/04/addressing-stigma-surrounds-addiction
- https://drugabuse.com/addiction/stigma/
- https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/emotional-health/removing-the-stigma-of-addiction
- https://addictions.iu.edu/understanding-addiction/stigma.html
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