There are many topics in this world that most will never understand. In fact, those said topics are ones that I pray are not ever able to be understood. Sadly, the world is not sunshine and rainbows, and life can take unexpected turns. For those of us that have the privilege of having a different path than others, supporting, or at least withholding judgment, of those other individuals is crucial to a better society, especially when it comes to something as tricky as addiction.
Focusing on drugs specifically, the crisis is getting deadlier. The CDC states that there have been over 112,000 fatal overdoses in a one-year span, which is the highest that is ever seen. The fentanyl crisis is a large factor in this with over 60% of the deaths involving this beyond harmful substance. It has gotten to the point that the CDC states for people ages 18-49, overdose is the number one leading cause of death. This is more than guns, cancer, and car accidents. Obviously, the aforementioned statistics can be scary. The numbers are rising out of control, but the one thing we cannot do is throw up our hands and say that there is nothing that can be done. Even worse, saying that if it doesn’t affect the individual, then one shouldn’t have to worry about it. Because, believe it or not, shying away from the problem will not make it better.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services states that only one in ten people who need treatment for addiction receive it. While there are a myriad of factors for this, one is that 40% of insurance doesn’t cover the addiction medication needed, and if they did cover it, 60% of treatment facilities don’t offer it, and only one percent offer all three according to a study by the JAMA Network. In addition to this, it is reported that only one in four physicians and nurses receive training to deal with people with an addiction. The sad truth is that drug addiction affects everyone and can tear down communities. The Rural Health Information Hub states that in communities that deal with substance abuse, there is “Increased crime and violence, vehicular accidents caused by driving while intoxicated, spreading of infectious diseases, fetal alcohol syndrome, risky sexual behavior, homelessness, and unemployment.” Again, one might be thinking that there is nothing that they can do, but getting the word out about how hard it is to currently get help is a good first step.
There is such a stigma and shame attached to addiction that stops many people from getting the help they need. Nora Volkow, speaker fighting against addiction, said that “As a society, we still keep addiction in the shadows, regarding it as something shameful, reflecting lack of character, weakness of will, or even conscious wrongdoing, not a medical issue.”As Volkow said, it is medical. Scientific studies of the brain show that once one starts on a substance, even if they wanted to stop, it just isn’t that simple. There are also genetic factors that we don’t even understand yet. Overall, no one really knows the story behind addiction. The judgemental stares, remarks, and even physical abuse do nothing to help that man that is sitting on the street asking for money because he doesn’t have a job due to addiction. The most important part is to try and withhold judgment as much as humanly possible because until you have walked in their exact shoes, you simply don’t know what it is like.
It is no secret that there is a problem with addiction in today’s world. Drugs, alcohol, and many other substances can take over one’s entire existence until they don’t know another way. Those of us that are privileged enough to say that we have never had to deal with addiction need to remember that the problem won’t go away on its own. It will take time; it will take voices.
