Do You Feel the Stigma of Addiction

My family and close friends all know my story, but it's when I feel the need to reveal my past to a new friend or acquaintance that it becomes difficult and I feel discomfort. It reminds me of a record when the music screeches to a stop.

Do you feel that too?

For me, this is still the tough part of writing about my life with addiction and going public. The thought goes through my mind; What will people think of me? Will they think I am a bad parent or that I've done something terribly wrong for this to happen to my family? There are some friends that still don't know that addiction has been part of my life and that I write online about the subject.

For those that don't know me, my daughter is a former crystal meth addict. She made the decision to enter a treatment center when she was 19 and celebrated her 20th birthday at a wilderness treatment program in a desolate area of southern Utah. She spent close to a year in treatment as well as sober living and continues in her recovery today.

Looking back, I feel I was naive and in denial about my daughter's drug use. I have come a long way in the past six years. I have learned that addiction can affect any family regardless of economic standing, education, race or religion. The children of parents that were neglectful or were suffering from an addiction themselves can become addicts, and the children of parents who tried to do all the right things can "catch" the disease as well.

I'm still working on getting past my feelings about the stigma of addiction. It's been an evolving process that most likely will continue throughout my life.

I remind myself to pay close attention to the words of support from family and friends. I remind myself that not one person has said I was a bad parent. I have felt supported.

Yet, the feeling that there is a stigma regarding addiction never really goes away. I'm still careful who I reveal my past to. There are times when addiction is a topic that people want to talk about, but many times, it just doesn't feel appropriate. I live in a community where many people keep their "mask" on that everything is perfect at home and their children are doing just fine.

Let's think for a moment about the stigma of addiction and how it is holding us all back.

Because of the stigma, there is social and legal discrimination against people with the disease of addiction.

Many people just don't think of it as a disease, but still consider it a character flaw or weakness. This explains why addicts and their families continue to hide the disease, and are ashamed to ask for help. Many are not willing to support treatment for a disease they don't understand.

Although understanding a disease that you have not experienced can be difficult, it's important to try, and break the stereotypes. Medical research has revealed that addiction is a physical, chronic disease much like diabetes or high blood pressure.

You wouldn't dream of judging someone with one of those medical conditions. When people stop thinking about addiction as a character flaw, more people will be able to get help. There is a new addiction medical specialty now at several medical schools to better help care for patients in the future, and that is a positive step forward.

When you are a victim of a stigma, you may begin to internalize the hate, which then changes the feeling of guilt to the much more unhealthy emotion of shame.

We can change the stigma of addiction. When we all work together we can make a difference and have an impact which will then help families struggling with this disease.

Here are some thoughts on rising above the stigma of addiction.

Let go of the fear, and whenever possible reveal your true self.
Find your strength and know that you can do something about addiction.
Become visible in your stand on recovery, or any other cause that you support.
Let go of living your life to meet the expectations of others.
Be proactive in spreading awareness that addiction is a disease, not a character weakness.
Be an advocate for an individual or family with an addiction problem.
Love yourself first, so that you can pass that love on freely to others.

Addiction is the invisible disease, and there is no finish line.

It is understandable when your job is on the line, that you need to be careful about revealing your past. That being said, consider that addiction will only come to the forefront of concern when we stand up and say that we have had enough of watching too many lives destroyed by this disease. In whatever way you can, let your voice be heard.

We are all finally free when we choose to be our true selves, and be honest about who we really are.