Letter: Unmasking stigma's grip — the hidden consequences of judging others

“In a world where you can be anything, be yourself.”

This anonymous  quote, often wrongly attributed to Albert Einstein, is easier said than done; I know this first-hand.

Like they say, “Once a drug addict, always a drug addict.” But what if, for just one day, you got to just be you?

The you prior to this disease taking over your thought process, your choices.

Imagine you got to go back to the you everyone valued, the version of you that was socially acceptable.

You can.

The effects of stigma that arise in our day-to-day lives—based on the loud, obnoxious voices of those who’ve never walked a mile in our shoes—eat at our bones, drive us to a downward spiral of lost hope, and our chances of survival slowly diminish into thin air.

Why is it so impossible for people to comprehend the effects of not only their words but also their snuffed-up noses and their disbelief in a world that is unknown? Stop the judgment before it’s too late.  

We are all human.

We were all born into this world with the unknown desire to be loved, and when we are left on our own with no understanding, we tend to adapt to the false reality of the poison that rushes through our veins, giving us the euphoric false reality of what we think it is to be loved. Addiction is a disease; it’s not a choice.

I have seen people spiral down due to the unnecessary banter amongst each other in the lineup at the bank; well, a fellow citizen is waiting in line just like everyone else to cash their monthly pay.

The laughs, the torment, the absolute horror that some place upon those suffering needs to be diminished.

We need to end the stigma on addicts before it’s too late. We are your children, your siblings, we are your friends and fellow citizens. We are all human. It doesn’t matter where you’ve been or what you’ve done; all that matters is where you go from here. We need to end this vicious cycle of abuse and start treating everyone with the same amount of respect.

So, like I said, imagine you got to go back to the you that was accepted. You can let me stand with you.

Amanda Mead

Squamish