Addressing the Shame & Secrecy of Addiction

TMZ posted that Coolio's autopsy result revealed that fentanyl, heroin and meth were in his system at the time of his death. My condolences to his family and loved ones for their loss.

When DMX died from a cocaine induced heart attack, his fans became protective of his legacy by seemingly denying his addiction issue. Why? Because admitting his addiction would somehow taint their memory of him. And that reveals how addiction is viewed.

Would you deny a cancer survivors battle with cancer? Or a diabetics medical challenge? Why would these medical issues get a different response than addiction? Addiction is also a sickness. You can't shame the victim by it. Nobody volunteers to become an addict. Sometimes biological and psychological predisposition predicates the susceptibility to becoming an addict. As a Pastor, I know spiritual influences can play a role as well. The point is, victim shaming and victim penalizing is reactive and doesn't really rescue and save. A proactive response is removing the shame and stigma in order to address the issue.

Part of the recovery process sometimes is relapsing. Discovering triggers and boundaries that one had normalized for years, and found solace in does not happen in the blink of an eye, a quick counseling session, or prayer event. Habits and mindset reconditioning, as well as addressing trauma that had been medicated for years takes hard work of developing new character traits.

We therefore need to be less finger pointing, and more supportive in addressing the epidemic of addiction. Otherwise our loved ones who struggle and are afflicted will go underground with their struggle, and we will only find out when they OD. Addiction is a mental health issue which is plaguing our society, and on the rise to near pandemic levels in its ratio of families impacted by it one way or a other (unconsciously most times).

Shame and secrecy empowers addiction.