For decades, people have seen addiction as part of a personal problem that stemmed from a failure of the individual. However, experts today recognize that there are a variety of reasons why people struggle with addiction. At Harmony Hills, we know that by taking an approach toward humanizing addiction, society can reduce stigma, make accessing treatment easier, and improve outcomes.
Why We Should Be Humanizing Addiction
The main aspect of humanizing addiction focuses on the people struggling with it instead of the addiction itself. Moreover, the substance abused should not matter because the addiction still harms the individual’s mind, body, and emotions. Treatment for all forms of substance use disorders is critical to helping those stuck in addiction break free.
Society often refers to those with mental health problems, disabilities, or medical conditions as people with a problem. For instance, instead of saying a depressed person, a better term to use is “a person with depression.” Or referring to a “person who has a disability” instead of a disabled person. By putting the person first, society recognizes that these conditions do not define the individuals. However, when it comes to looking at addiction, the same does not always hold.
You can start with your wording by referring to those with substance abuse problems as “people who have an addiction” or “those who struggle with drug use” instead of just calling someone an “addict” or an “abuser.” By using these terms, you do not allow the substance use to define the person, giving them hope that they have a life outside of their addiction through seeking recovery at an alcohol addiction treatment program.
Learn More About Addiction and Share the Information
Next, you should learn as much about addiction and what those who struggle with it endure. Share this information with everyone you can. In doing so, you can help build sympathy for those who experience substance use and encourage changes to promote the humanization of addiction.
Work Toward Changes in Society
Lastly, you can use the information that you learn about addiction to help make changes in society. Society looks at addiction differently than individuals do. Unfortunately, this happens frequently in law enforcement and politics. Police agencies and politicians often categorize those who have addictions, especially to illegal substances, as criminals. This broad approach only leads to those arrested for drug use going to prison instead of drug detox centers.
If you want to start humanizing addiction, talk to your political representatives to seek ways to make addiction seen as a medical and mental problem instead of a crime. With less criminalization of minor drug offenses, those who have addiction problems can seek treatment instead of worrying about prison.
Additionally, you should encourage local police agencies to carry naloxone (Narcan) to reverse overdoses. If called to a scene of a narcotic overdose, the officers could save a life.
Plus, consider promoting prevention programs to your local politicians, schools, and police agencies. By preventing drug use before it turns into an addiction, these programs can help others to avoid the heartache of seeing a loved one fall into drug or alcohol abuse.
Harmony Hills Offers Addiction Treatment Programs in Altoona, Florida
For those who suffer from addiction, getting help is always the first step. However, finding a place that treats its clients like people instead of only looking at their problems may feel overwhelming. Call us at 855.494.0357 to reach us at Harmony Hills if you want to learn more about humane addiction in FL treatment.
Our treatment programs take a holistic approach to improve our clients’ health in body, mind, and emotions. Some of the ways that we do that include our following services and amenities:
- Residential treatment facility with 24 rooms
- Medically supervised detox
- Individual addiction therapy services
- Walking trails
- Gym and basketball court
Through these features, we help to treat each of our clients as an individual in need of help. We work hard at humanizing addiction through our treatment approaches. Let us help you or your loved one succeed in their battle with substance abuse and find recovery. Call us today at 855.494.0357.
