STIGMATIC PATHOLOGY

The ominous dark trench coat, the sinister man lurking in the dark alley, the slow rolling white van with its pitch tinted windows rolled down just a crack. Surely each of these sparks the americanized image of an addict- each menacing mascot depicted in our gymnasiums and auditoriums is depicted lurking in shadows to prey upon polo shirt clad white middle class child it could snatch into its talons.

Is it such a curiosity that these fictitious characters of american propaganda have not shaken its youth to the core, completely detering the reach of their innocent hands into-what exactly? We’ll never tell! Condemnation is key. Explanation is dangerous. To explain is to enable, this is precisely why our villainous archetypes of substance abuse are so imperative! Precisely why not a single child in America utilizes drugs, or even alcohol. Oh wait. Could it be? That our mascots have worked not by means of deterrence but rather have incited a curiosity within our youth?

Never were we presented that perhaps the evil of addiction could be hiding in just the hit of a blunt on the drive home from a beach day, the secret sip of mom’s wine that she left on the counter, the quick sniff of powder to keep you going on a night out with friends, the promise of adventure and open-mindedness lying in the tab on your tongue. These are what lead to the needle in your arm. The trenchcoat clad man nowhere to be seen.

So what now, as you lie dying? Well the answer should be simple! You’ve been educated on it your entire life after all. You accept the consequences of your actions and rejoice in new life as a statistic for the powerpoints in auditoriums for future youth, and boy do we hope to God they don’t end up like you.

Could it be that the consequence of the institutionalized stigma of addiction have not only promoted the alienation of the addict, but also encouraged a surreptitious suppression of drug utilization? Damnation to the point where seeking help for indulging in such behaviors is so humiliating, so vile, that it is better to be overcome by the demons one has played with than to admit such, even in hopes of pursuing recovery?

To alter the statistics of addiction we must work to improve our perceptions of the addict. We must concentrate on connection over condemnation, and arm ourselves with accurate information rather than crimson bracelets.