People’s social life might suffer significantly as a result of perceived stigma.
Individuals who take drugs may suffer from chronic stress due to this stigma.
People who take drugs may feel pushed to the periphery of society, lose contact with their community, and suffer from acute loneliness. When a person lacks social links or someone to talk to, they are less likely to seek healthcare or therapy.
Being alone has different mental health repercussions, which can cause even more significant drug use, creating a vicious cycle that is difficult to break free from.
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What Is Stigma In Addiction?
The term “stigma” refers to the intense, unfavorable views typically connected with substance misuse and addiction.
Stigma can harm a person’s self-esteem, damage relationships with loved ones, and deter those suffering from addiction from seeking treatment.
Stigma is a collection of negative perceptions held by society about a specific issue or group of individuals.
When a person is stigmatized, they are seen as less than due to their perceived health state.
Stigma is seldom founded on facts. Instead, it is based on assumptions and prejudices; hence, education can avoid or mitigate its harmful influence.
People who have a socially undesirable feature or engage in culturally excluded activities, such as drug use, face prejudice, rejection, alienation, and discrimination due to stigma.
How Prevalent Is Stigma In Addiction?
We live in a culture where millions of Americans are addicted to drugs or alcohol, yet only a small number of them undergo treatment at a facility.
According to the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 21.5 million Americans aged 12 and older had a drug use problem in the preceding year; however, only 2.5 million obtained the necessary specialist treatment.
Approximately 15.1 million people reported alcohol addiction, whereas 2.1 million reported taking AUD treatment with prescribed pain medicines.
Nonetheless, despite these alarming statistics, the stigma of addiction lingers.
According to recent research, fewer than one out of every five Americans is willing to have a close relationship with someone who is addicted to drugs.
The issue of treatment availability even goes into the criminal justice system.
According to The National Center on Addiction and Drug Misuse research, more than 65% of the 2.3 million persons jailed in the United States matched the criteria for a substance abuse problem. Yet, only 11% of those people received treatment.
How To Remove Stigma From An Addiction problem?
Internalization of perceived stigma is also possible in addiction. People who take drugs may perceive themselves as deviants, which can negatively influence their self-esteem and self-worth. Therefore, you can follow these strategies to remove the stigma from addiction:
1: Know More About It
Addiction causes physiological changes in the brain, much as heart disease does. Addiction causes may be quite complicated and vary depending on the type of addiction. Understanding how and why addiction arises might aid in reducing the stigma associated with it.
2: Talk About It
Discussing addiction humanizes the condition and demonstrates that recovery is attainable. In addition, when you talk to someone who knows the health impacts of addiction, you can find out how serious it is as a health issue.
3: Show Compassion
Speak out if you observe any indications of addiction. Addicts require aid and support, not ridicule and disgrace. Therefore, when your loved ones suffer from it, you must be compassionate and cheer them to commit to recovery.
4: Communicate With Care
Use caution when communicating. People are frequently embarrassed by their addiction, which leads to denial or deception. It is preferable to connect with tenderness and compassion. Choose your words wisely and avoid using derogatory terms.
5: Provide Assistance
Provide information and assistance to the victims of addiction in locating professional resources. Find the right therapy by requesting a thorough psychiatric examination and the aid of a professional care team that specializes in addiction.
6: Set Boundaries
Define your boundaries. Be kind but tough if they continue to refuse therapy. Continue to offer assistance because recovery is a process. Offer to go to a support group or counseling session with them. If your loved one relapses, assist them in returning to their treatment plan.
7: Commit To The Process
Maintain your dedication to motivate the person in the addiction recovery journey. Remove any alcoholic beverages and other temptations from their homes and social lives. You can also encourage yourself to participate in healthy activities like exercise, jogging, yoga that both of you like.
Impact Of Stigma On Addiction Treatment
Unfortunately, those stigmatized because of their drug use are less likely to seek treatment, resulting in economic, social, and medical expenses. The expenses of untreated addiction in the United States were a stunning figure of $510 billion.
People may be discouraged from seeking essential healthcare services if they perceive stigma in hospitals or physicians’ offices. Unfortunately, stigma is also a mistake that leads to relapse, so it should never be encouraged.
When health care practitioners have a negative attitude about persons addicted to drugs, it can impact their willingness to assess or treat the patient for substance misuse, how they approach him, and how it may hinder addicted people from seeking treatment at all.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) contains addiction treatment coverage to better help people with drug use problems. Treatment services, such as psychotherapy and counseling, are available to those who have Medicaid or purchase policies via the health exchanges.
Plans vary, and some include limitations on the number of days or visits covered, the amount of the deductible paid, and whether or not treatment requires permission.
Despite these constraints, more Americans now have access to health care than ever before. However, due to societal issues like stigma, receiving treatment remains a serious public health concern.
Final Thoughts
Historically, drug addiction was seen as sinful or the consequence of a lack of self-control. Unfortunately, these thoughts lead to stigma and make it difficult to receive appropriate care.
However, quitting addiction takes more than willpower and self-control. This is why, when people suffer from addiction, you should never stigmatize them because it will discourage them from seeking appropriate treatment.
If you want to know more about it, post your questions in the comment box.