We don’t truly understand the problem at hand until we can first provide tangible evidence-based solutions. The addiction crisis has become the problem of my generation.
One has to love the broad scope of solutions being presented by all walks of life. There is still an abundance of counterproductive scapegoating.
I am a person in recovery from a substance use disorder; that means that I am regularly told whether my addictive disorder is a disease or a choice. These divisive semantics are getting old and are negatively impacting New Hampshire’s mortality rates.
This public health crisis should be all hands on deck, with no room for petty, short-sighted opinions.
I used and sold drugs for 10 years and am now in sustained recovery, and yet I do not think of myself as having a disease. This language is lazy and engenders shame and stigma. We get enough of that from the media.
Saying that addiction is simply a disease takes away from the personal responsibility of accessing treatment and recovery.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration defines recovery as a process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life and strive to reach their full potential. Today recovery is available to us all.
In this false dichotomy, people believe that if addiction isn’t a disease, then it’s simply a choice. This leads to slandering people for having a mental health condition by saying that their condition is simply a matter of choice. Words are powerful, more so when addressing a marginalized population.
We may disagree on the semantics of choice and disease, but I hope we can all agree that we are addressing a health condition that requires treatment. People do recover; I am living proof of it.
Medical literature tells us that substance use disorders are rooted in neurobiology with direct correlation to brain development in utero and in the first thousand days post-partum. Adverse experiences, in utero and early in life, affect brain development and lay the foundation for substance use disorders. Often there is no choice involved in a person starting to self-medicate to treat an endorphin imbalance.
Another large factor is that the society we live in fosters conditions that often require self-soothing behaviors; we all have them. To combat this, young people need to be given tools to cope: mentorship, mindfulness, meditation, goal-setting, mental health counseling and enjoyable recreation. What is taught in rehab needs to be taught in elementary school as primary prevention.
For those of us who do have a substance use disorder, there is treatment available.
Addictive disorders should be treated and cared for with education, evidence-based treatment options and community supports. Recovery has never been more accessible, and there have never been so many pathways designed to fit the needs of the individual.
Not all of us will enter recovery through traditional treatment, but treatment begins with how a person is treated.
There must be more education available about the facts regarding people with addictive disorders. This will ensure proper treatment and mitigate stigma.
I draw the parallel between addictive disorders and asthma. Asthma is less about personal choice than it is about genetic predisposition, biology and environmental factors. It is a chronic health condition with no known cure, although treatment is available and the condition can go into remission. Without education and treatment, people with asthma can make their condition worse by making poor, uninformed choices.
It did not start with a simple choice, but it can be treated with education, evidence-based therapies and harm reduction.
Rather than getting angry at those who are using drugs chaotically, I implore you to go out and help someone who is struggling. Provide love, support and connection to the person you care about who is experiencing issues with substance use.
When we boil down addiction, we find feelings of isolation, dislocation, separation, fear, doubt and insecurity. It is not fun, and no one chose to feel that way.
People will not recover from an addictive disorder until they experience healthy bonds and attachments with the people around them. It is possible to support someone who is still using drugs without enabling them. Support them until they find a path of recovery that works for them.
Know this fact: The way you address and respond to someone can be pivotal in their journey. You can speak words of life or words of death. We are all doing the best we can given our circumstances.
With love, support, education and tangible solutions, we can all do better.
(Ryan Fowler is a regional access point services specialist with Granite Pathways in Concord.)