[Shorts] Fighting stigma in mental health one issue at a time pt. 3
Do you know of anyone who has been battling an addiction?
Chances are, you have.
Do you know what it means for someone to be in recovery?
Chances are, you probably have not.
Latest statistics show that about 10% of the population, ages 12 and up, have used an “illicit” drug in the past month. That’s about 24.6 million people. (NIH, 2014). Now let me clarify some of this data:
- This is for people reporting that they engaged in drug use, at least once, in the past month. This does not mean they’ve continued to engage in use, though.
- As with any survey, people tend to underreport anything that may be perceived as bad or make them be perceived as bad. Meaning, the number is probably a lot higher
- The word illicit has many undertones to it, meaning it could provoke many emotions in a person, and may even go against personal beliefs and stances on the use of drugs in general. Some people may believe that marijuana is not illict, and therefore report no. Some people may believe engagement in any drug is not illicit, and report no.
- This statistic is up from 2002, where surveys had it at about 8% of people ages 12 and up.
Another statistic to confirm the increased use and abuse of illicit drugs, in the graph below:
As you can see, in 2015, over 50,000 people died from overdosing on drugs and alcohol. This has more than doubled since 2002.
It is safe to assume that many of these deaths were of people in recovery.
Rehab, 12 Step, outpatient therapy, Matrix Model, Sinclair Method, or going cold turkey, whatever the method, it’s never easy getting to recovery.
Speak to any addict who has currently curbed their addiction, they will all say that they are still in recovery. Whether they are 1 day clean, 3 months clean, or even 20 years clean. They are an “addict”.
This means, recovery is an on-going thing. The battle doesn’t end, no matter how much time has elapsed since the last time someone has used.
I’ve spoken to many clients who had been clean for years. 4, 10, 20 years, only to relapse due to a number of circumstances. It’s always tough. There is a lot of guilt, shame, and often, hopelessness.
Recovery is defined as “a process of change through which an individual achieves abstinence and improved health, wellness and quality of life.” — SAMHSA
It’s a process. Not an end or a goal you achieve.
Too often, with many things in mental health, we see things as linear and polar. Nothing in mental health is so black and white. The DSM-V confirmed this with the introduction of looking at things in a spectrum.
Addiction is no different.
Next time you meet an addict and they tell you how many days they’ve been clean, whether it is day 1 or day 1,000,00, give them some encouragement. Because when battling addiction and managing recovery, making it through mere minutes is a huge victory.
