by Carolanne Wartman | Feb 21, 2024 | Essays
Everyone deserves compassion and a path to recovery. At its core, addiction is a human experience that transcends societal boundaries. It’s a condition that doesn’t discriminate. Whether you are a successful professional, a stay-at-home parent, a student, or retired,...
by Anonymous Contributor | Feb 6, 2024 | Essays
Those in the helping professions feel the sting of shame and stigma tooI am April. I am a pharmacist. And I have a substance use disorder.My struggles with substance misuse began soon after graduating from pharmacy school. As I transitioned from the highly structured...
by Stuart Haines | Jan 23, 2024 | Essays
Substance use disorder leads to a lot of physical and psychological suffering. And it’s a disease that is criminalized.A lot of people are waking up to the fact that punishment doesn’t cure substance use disorder (SUD). And the threat of punishment doesn’t...
by Ansley Hayes | Jan 16, 2024 | Essays
When you think of someone with a substance use disorder, what characteristics come to mind? Do you envision someone of a certain race, gender, or socioeconomic class? Are they dirty, lazy, and violent? This is the damaging stereotype society has created of an...
by Rachael Cooper | Jan 2, 2024 | Essays
Stigma lives at three levelsStigma toward substance use and people with substance use disorder (SUD) is a major driver of the overdose and addiction crises in the United States, impacting people with SUD, their loved ones, and their communities in innumerable ways....
by Jeff Parker | Dec 12, 2023 | Essays
A Story of Friendship and AddictionI rarely re-read books. But The Tennis Partner, an autobiographical work by Abraham Verghese, MD, is an exception. My current engagement on the Advisory Board of a substance use disorder (SUD) stigma reduction grant brought the book...
