Chemical Dependency and Stigma

Chemical dependency and stigma in 2016 shouldn’t be an issue – however, there’s still stigma attached to chemical dependence, addiction, drug use disorder, or whatever one calls it. Most professionals are using the term chemical dependence because “addiction” is so loaded with negative connotations, but to be honest there’s nothing wrong with the word addiction — it’s old mindsets that have to change – the terms “drunks”, “junkies”, “pill heads”, etc., haven’t disappeared despite efforts to educate the public.

The online dictionary defines stigma as:

a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person.

“the stigma of mental disorder”

A major reason many people don’t ask for help with addiction is the stigma that’s attached to the disease. They’re afraid they’ll be ostracized, seen as weak or stupid, rejected, fired, divorced, cut-off, laughed at, judged, condemned, etc. Addiction is still perceived by way too many as a moral failing, an association with criminal elements, a lack of will power, a lack of intelligence, poverty, as irresponsible, self-centered, and a host of other negative perceptions that are applied one way or another to someone who’s chemically dependent. The stigma is often different for alcohol than for heroin, a professional than for a blue collar worker, one race as opposed to another, on and on. If a person is addicted to opiates, the stigma might relate to ghettoes, needles and back alleys. If a person is an alcoholic, the stigma might relate to a lack of will power, or just plain old sinfulness of gluttony. If it’s pot, the stigma might relate to youth, laziness, dullness and irresponsibility. If it’s cocaine, the stigma might relate to criminality, wild parties or the profligate nature of too much money.

Most people who don’t understand chemical dependency have some form of stigma they apply, unless they’re unusually open minded and curious people who seek to find answers to those things they confront and don’t understand. It’s hard for people to understand addiction as a condition that can develop in their grandmother, their daughter, their best friend. There’s a lot of good information out now about chemical dependency. More and more people realize that addiction is not caused by lack of will power, or because a person is sinful or just plain irresponsible. A strong willed nurse can go to a doctor for a painful medical condition and the doctor can prescribe opiates to which the nurse can develop an addiction. It happens in about 15% of those who use opiates for any reason. An intelligent plumber who’s always been responsible and caring and conscientious can develop an addiction to alcohol over a period of time, even if he’s not going out to bars every night, cheating on his wife, getting in fights, avoiding his bills, or whatever other old mindset about alcoholism is applied.

Addiction can happen to anyone who uses a potentially addictive substance for whatever reason. There can be discussion about whether someone should start using a particular drug, especially for recreational use, but this is another topic. Addiction is not caused by personality disorders, lack of religion/faith, irresponsibility, too much money, stupidity, poverty, etc, – all these things can complicate addiction, but they are not causes. A drug addict can be a perfectly normal person before developing chemical dependence. Through the years I’ve counseled, or had in one of my groups at an inpatient facility,  the head of the Psychiatry Department at a large university hospital, priests/preachers/nuns, millionaire business people, housewives, middle class workers of all trades, professors, teachers, politicians, smart people, criminals, principled law-abiding people, old people, young people, irresponsible people, responsible people, wise people, ignorant people, rednecks, artists, liberals, conservatives — you get the picture. Chemical dependency and stigma shouldn’t be a problem — not if you learn just a little bit about addiction.