Have you heard about the study showing that people feel more negatively towards those with drug addiction than those with mental illness? I this post I would like to explore how we, as a society, can reduce the stigma around addictive behaviours.
It’s an understandable effect of the way people with addictive behaviours are portrayed in the media and even in stories we hear from others. Addiction is often shown as a moral failing, even a choice, rather than a consequence of trauma, genetics or a medical condition. Sadly, many people are born into a traumatic, dysfunctional environment; some have a family history of addiction; while others have a painful health condition that leads them to become addicted to painkillers.
Addiction can be behavioural as well as substance addiction.
When I was growing up, I witnessed a lot of talks around the family table about that far-away aunt with alcohol addiction. She was seen as weak, a bad person who had fallen off the wagon, and those discussing her almost had a sense of superiority.
This attitude prevailed among many, even though we were in a country where alcohol addiction has been a cultural narrative for many generations. My first long-term corporate job was at an alcohol company, where the free bar was open to everyone. Witnessing various people’s relationship with alcohol – and hearing stories of those who relied on it just to cope with life – shifted my perception of this addiction.
One of the most profound books I’ve read, ‘The boy who was raised as a dog’, by child psychiatrist Bruce Perry, is not strictly about addiction but about how trauma in childhood shapes us and leads us to the unconscious creation of coping mechanisms – including addictive behaviours – in adulthood.
‘The more shame associated with drug addiction, the less likely [it is that] we as a community will be in a position to change attitudes and get people the help they need,’ says Beth McGinty, PhD, MS, an assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. ‘If you can educate the public that these are treatable conditions, we will see higher levels of support for policy changes that benefit people with mental illness and drug addiction.’
Looking back at the years since my first job at that alcohol business, I feel life has brought me to a place where I can help to change this negative perception, and help society move towards a more sympathetic view of those who are struggling with addictive behaviours. I am pleased that coaching has grown into a huge industry and is in high demand. It can provide so many benefits in business, career development and personal relationships – and now in wellness and mental health.
