I felt I needed to share this especially as you are looking so deeply at stigma and ultimately shame. Here is an article I wrote about that intersection as AI steps into the picture of Behavioral Health:
Thank you for this article. It will be four years soon that we have lost our son to SUD. Despite chronic health problems, multiple surgeries and hospital stays, he was treated as a drug seeker by so many healthcare professionals. It was awful. He eventually grew tired of fighting and went to the streets for relief. By then he was physically and emotionally dependent on narcotics. He died Feb 2022 from fentanyl poisoning induced by a healthcare system that is broken in so many ways. If only...
Jeanne - thank you for sharing your story. It's disheartening that our healthcare (and regulatory and legal) systems are so bent on thwarting access to some medications (opioids), but not others (nicotine, alcohol). I'm not advocating for more restrictions (because they don't work) but rather a better understanding of the root cause of substance use disorders. All substances can cause harm if used in unwise ways or by individuals who suffer from a brain disorder that leads to compulsive use ... but medications can (and do) reduce suffering, if used wisely. Treating people with care, kindness, and respect is so fundamental. Judgment only drives people underground.
I felt I needed to share this especially as you are looking so deeply at stigma and ultimately shame. Here is an article I wrote about that intersection as AI steps into the picture of Behavioral Health:
https://open.substack.com/pub/justinhewitt42/p/digital-cravings?r=4aa574&utm_medium=ios
Thank you for this article. It will be four years soon that we have lost our son to SUD. Despite chronic health problems, multiple surgeries and hospital stays, he was treated as a drug seeker by so many healthcare professionals. It was awful. He eventually grew tired of fighting and went to the streets for relief. By then he was physically and emotionally dependent on narcotics. He died Feb 2022 from fentanyl poisoning induced by a healthcare system that is broken in so many ways. If only...
Jeanne - thank you for sharing your story. It's disheartening that our healthcare (and regulatory and legal) systems are so bent on thwarting access to some medications (opioids), but not others (nicotine, alcohol). I'm not advocating for more restrictions (because they don't work) but rather a better understanding of the root cause of substance use disorders. All substances can cause harm if used in unwise ways or by individuals who suffer from a brain disorder that leads to compulsive use ... but medications can (and do) reduce suffering, if used wisely. Treating people with care, kindness, and respect is so fundamental. Judgment only drives people underground.