Imagine having a chronic illness and instead of receiving help to get better, you’re socially stigmatized. Can you picture what that would do to your worth, self-esteem, and health? Better yet, is it ethical to mistreat someone based on an illness? Because of addiction stigma, many people are denied housing, and jobs, and often are not provided the adequate care they need to recover. This is a reality for thousands of Americans each day. We’re working to put an end to this with our National Addiction Stigma Strategy. 
 
One of the main reasons for substance use stigma is the misunderstanding of addiction as a moral flaw. In the simplest terms, addiction is a chronic disease that affects a person's brain's reward, motivation, and decision-making areas. Some people think addiction is a choice when in fact, there are too many factors that can lead to addiction. Addiction stigma coupled with other aspects of discrimination, such as race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and occupation, can deeply affect people’s recovery journeys.  
 
In order to change how society views addiction, and get people the care they need, and prevent discriminatory practices based on stigma, we’re working with public health professionals, policy experts, and advocates to lead a coordinated effort to minimize stigma. Addiction stigma is multifaceted which is why we’re targeting it from multiple angles. Our stigma work is based on these four types of stigmas and their subsets: 

Self-Stigma: People feel internalized shame and guilt because of societal attitudes and beliefs toward addiction. 

Public Stigma: The general negative attitudes and beliefs about people who use drugs.   

Stigma Against Medication: The belief that medications "transform one addiction into another.” 

Structural Stigma: Discrimination and barriers that people with addiction have to deal with in getting access to healthcare, education, and employment. 

We’re not simply saying to change your language, we’re also encouraging you to change your attitudes and beliefs because by doing so you can save a life and improve outcomes for families. Saving a life means: influencing better prescribing practices, distributing overdose-reversing drugs, expanding access to medications, and enhancing healthcare coverage. It means educating employers, schools, and the general public so that they learn the facts about addiction and do not deny care, housing, or opportunities to people because of a chronic illness. 

In our research, we found that successful social change campaigns required three types of actions: educating individuals, removing stigmatizing language, and altering policies. In collaboration with The Hartford, we developed The Shatterproof Addiction Stigma Index (SASI), the most comprehensive survey ever done on addiction stigma. This measurement tool establishes a baseline for addiction stigma and public attitudes about substance use. It will be used to call attention to, measure progress on, and hold our nation accountable for eliminating one of the most tragic drivers of the addiction crisis. 

We heavily rely on the use of education to provide people with the information they need. We’re working to help people realize that this disease can happen to all of us, not to "them." Public education and awareness about addiction as a disease are how we are reducing public stigma. In addition to this, we’re also focused on media campaigns, community forums, and school-based programs that can provide accurate information about addiction, its causes, and treatment.  

We’re  focused on reducing the negative portrayal of addiction in popular culture. For example, in movies and TV shows where people who use drugs are often portrayed negatively. Our efforts also include showcasing stories of recovery. People fear what they don’t know. When we show the real faces of addiction, we reduce social distance and create positive contact. In turn, people do feel less likely to “other” or stigmatize others due to a chronic illness. Research shows that contact-based education works. People need to learn from the lived experiences of others. And that’s what we’re doing. 

The goal is to improve outcomes for people with addiction by reducing institutional stigma and expanding access to science-based treatment. We’re changing policies and practices that discriminate against people who use drugs like denying them jobs, housing, and health care. As well as increasing funding for addiction treatment and support services, like medication-assisted treatment, counseling, and peer support. 

In order to reduce stigma, we must use people-first language, increase public awareness, and improve the education and training of medical professionals, the education of media outlets, the education of addiction in schools, and the education of society at large. This is only a general overview of what you help us do in our stigma work.  It is possible to create an inclusive and understanding society that helps us advance the care and quality of life of all people. Thank you for helping us do it. 

To read more and in detail about our National Stigma Strategy, go to shatterproof.org/endstigma.