This is a guest post by Vince Horan.
Forty years ago the image of an alcoholic was a middle-aged male who had lost everything important in life and was banished to a homeless life on “Skid Row”.
An addict was considered a burned-out junky in the back alley of the slums with a needle in his arm.
Addiction was believed to be a loss of willpower, so addicts were considered weak-minded individuals condemned to a life of pain and suffering caused by living a life of sin.
The “stigmatism” about addictions was born out of the ignorance and fear of a society that could not “figure out” an abnormality they could not understand.
The same stigmatism applies to mental health disorders as well. Out of fear, people make judgments about individuals and behaviors who act outside of the norm of their own beliefs.
The goal is to isolate and separate these individuals and their behaviors into a category so that society doesn’t have to take responsibility for their condition. It is easier to judge, condemn, and ostracize; than to face the pain and grief of what is not working in our culture and reach out with compassion to those who suffer from these diseases.
Addictions are coping strategies that develop from an early age as a means to hide the pain, relieve fear and anxiety, repress traumatic memories, or mask shame and/or poor self-esteem. It is estimated that ten to twenty percent of the population has untreated addictions.
If there is an addiction in the family legacy, the percentages rise in a range from 50 – 90%. Addictions are an epidemic in American culture. Forty years ago the average age of onset for alcohol or drug abuse was between 16 and 18. Today the average onset is between 9 and 11 years of age.
Forty years ago, the average alcoholic was considered a middle-aged white male who had a severe drinking problem. Today the average addict is between 20 and 30 years of age, a multi-cultural male or female with a history of polysubstance abuse. The definition of addiction has expanded to include other compulsive behaviors such as; eating disorders, gambling, spending, sex, hoarding, work-a-holism, and many others.
The primary symptom common to all addictions is denial. Denial is also the first stage of the grief process. Codependency is another form of addiction labeled for those who live with the alcoholic or addict and also live in denial. Denial is the attempt of the mind to ignore, minimize, rationalize, excuse, or control the realities of addiction.
Stigmatism is a form of denial that judges addicts, or refuses to accept addictions as a viable disease existent in our culture. The stigmatism attached to addictions excuses mainstream America from any responsibility in diagnostics, care, and treatment for those who suffer from addictions.
This stigmatism is so prolific in the American culture that it has only been in recent years that the medical profession even admitted addictions as a viable diagnosis in their Diagnostics and Statistical Manuals. This Stigmatism and denial play a significant role in the epidemic that is addictions in this culture.
Most addicts suffer poor self-esteem and carry a great deal of shame about the behaviors and attitudes that have rendered their lives unmanageable. The general stigmatism about addiction only adds to their shame and poor self-esteem and fosters the need for avoidance, isolation, and secrecy.
Stigmatism is fear announced in the guise of critical judgment. If someone was diagnosed with diabetes, the dominant response would be compassion. When someone is diagnosed with addictions, the general response is usually, disbelief, horror, denial, and disgust.
The stigmatism of addictions leads to shame.
The need is to reduce the fear of the general public and encourage the outpouring of compassion, time, energy, and resources to those who suffer from addictions.
Fear needs information.
Knowledge is power.
Only with accurate knowledge can we embrace the malady of addictions and provide the treatment resources necessary to intervene on this disease that has reached epidemic proportions in the American Culture.
Vince Horn is a Certified Counselor in the State of Washington.
This article was originally posted in 2018.
What are your thoughts about addiction? Why do you think it has become an epidemic in our society? Let us know in the comments.
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Vince and Cathy –
A great post. Vince, you are right on target about how we stigmatize any type of mental illness. As someone who has a history of depression, I have always felt it important to educate others about what depression is and to guide suffers to get help – without shame.
The more that individuals like you and Cathy speak out and make addiction a topic that is not hidden in the closet but brought to the forefront so all of us can learn and do something about it. Fran
Hi Fran,
The Stigmatization of addiction has held so many families from getting the help they need. They may not seek help for their child who is addicted. They may not seek help for themselves for fear that others in their community will find out. The more we can talk about addiction openly, the better for everyone. I’m glad that you were able to work through your depression. Take care.
What a powerful post Vince and Cathy. I found myself saying aloud, no way when I read about children as young as 9 years old being addicted. It’s absolutely mind boggling.
I’m so grateful that you both are in our world with your words of wisdom and advice on this incredibly challenging topic.
In gratitude.
Elle
Hi Elle,
The age of experimentation does seem to be getting lower and lower with many middle school children becoming dependent on drugs and alcohol. Early prevention is the key to helping our kids make healthy choices. Take care! xoxo
This is so true! Well said,
“Out of fear people make judgments about individuals and behaviors who act outside of the norm of their own beliefs.”
Also I think that 10-20% of the population having undiagnosed addictions is way to low. I think the porn that runs rampant isn’t accounted for…even though it’s part of sex addiction.
Thanks for helping us think about addiction. Like Elle says…we’re grateful you and Cathy are putting this message out.
I agree Tess, that fear plays a big part in people’s perception of all areas of mental health including addiction. Fear about the disease and people struggling with the disease fear recovery and what that will mean for their life. Addiction is all forms unfortunately is rampant. I feel our society unintentionally promotes addiction and we are not doing enough to prevent and educate. Thanks for stopping by. Always good to hear from you!
I think that it has become such a problem in today’s western society because our society is so disconnected. There isn’t a sense of community. Families are broken. We value fame rather than other values, which leads people to feel like they are never enough. Life seems to pressure us in western society to care only about getting ahead (whatever the heck that means) and not just enjoying the moment and the people in our lives.
You can only change when you stop denying and admit there is a problem.
Hi Sebastian,
The stigma of addiction holds back many families from getting the help that they need. In some way our society is off track. Families are stressed in many ways these days and sometimes the kids are not the priority. That of course is not always the case, many loving responsible parents have a child that becomes addicted. The more we bring addiction out into the light, the better for us all. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Je vous remercie pour cet article qui est passionnant. Et un grand bravo pour la qualité générale de ce site.
Merci beaucoup!
Cathy and Vince:
Truly knowledge is power!
In the years of interviews and research I’ve done on this topic one of the main “themes” that screams out is that there is so much judgement and criticism because people just don’t know facts and science, they base most of their feelings and opinion on anecdotal “evidence”.
We must keep up with what we do to educate so everyone can make more informed decisions for themselves and their loved ones, as well as to make this a more talked about and mainstream topic that people feel comfortable engaging in.
Thanks for your post.
Denise
So true, Denise. It is still a taboo topic today. Many do not want to talk about addiction or admit there is a problem. So much more work is yet to be done.