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If current trends continue, more than 2,200 people will die of opioid overdoses in Ontario by the end of 2020 (thread).
2,200 people. 2,200 people. 2,2000 people. These are our friends, our family, our elders, our artists, our leaders, our comforters, our cherished beloveds. 2/11
November 22nd, 2020 is the first day of National Addiction Awareness Week, and this year’s theme is stigma. As we mourn the unspeakable losses of the overdose crisis, we must also consider that stigma related to addictions has been at least as deadly as addiction itself. 3/11
Stigma around addictions creates barriers to almost everything: housing, shelter, medical care, community. 4/11
When addiction is treated like a bad choice, instead of like the complex biological, social, and spiritual condition that it is, it affects the kinds of treatment and solutions that we consider acceptable or suitable. 5/11
When addiction is seen as a shameful character flaw, the result is needless suffering and death. 6/11
Even relatively compassionate misunderstandings of addiction can be dangerous. It’s common to hear people say that: “In order to address homelessness, we have to address mental illness and addiction- implying that addiction and mental illness cause poverty and homelessness. 7/11
This can happen, but equally often, we observe the opposite: people develop a reliance on drugs to cope with the stress and trauma of poverty and homelessness. 8/11
We would LOVE to see more, better, and more accessible mental health and addictions services. But we would also love to see more people saying: “In order to address addiction and mental illness, we have to address poverty and homelessness.” 9/11
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus criticizes religious leaders for tying up heavy burdens for other people to bear and doing nothing to lighten the load. That feels like a perfect encapsulation of the many ways that our communities are failing people with addictions. 10/11
As we approach National Addiction Awareness week, we pray that instead of heaping stigma, assumptions, and misunderstandings onto the backs of our friends and neighbours with addictions, our communities will take steps to lighten their burdens. 11/11
