No one wants to be an addict. People who experiment with drugs don’t plan to become addicted. Whether for a simple wisdom tooth extraction, recovering from an accident, or even surgical procedures, this exposure can be a common pathway to addiction. 

These people are our brothers, sisters, parents, friends, coworkers. They may make a million dollars a year, or they may be sleeping in their cars. As Pogo said, “we have met them and they are us.”

Medicine Assisted Treatment (MAT) can help. While it is one of many forms for treatment for substance use disorder, MAT can bring calm into a chaotic situation.  While it may not be all or end al – therapy and counselling with qualified professionals such as our friends at Fairwinds and Gosnold provide help in this area 

The key element to recovery is the individual wanting to seek help.

Yet, the greatest barrier to seeking help is the stigma associated with addiction – fear and shame and subsequent isolation can drive addiction. The stigma from your friends and family coworkers and employers can be a major barrier to seeking help. People fighting substance use disorders can be beat down by negatives attitudes by those not afflicted.

Addiction is an illness. Would we look down on a person with a broken leg or pneumonia the same way we look down at a person with an addiction? Addiction is a disease the roots of which we are just uncovering. it is not a moral failing. We bring a casserole to the person with cancer. I’ve yet to see the same sympathy shown to the addicted person. They are no different; just someone in the need of help. 

Show you care. It is always reasonable to express care for someone you suspect of having addiction issues. Give them a chance to answer-they may be in denial but may crystallize the desire to stop.