by Avah Fetzer
Assistant Editor-In-Chief
The following story was written by a student on the staff of The Jaguar Times as part of Hilliard Bradley High School’s Journalism Production course.
Why do you think addiction awareness month and recovery awareness month are usually overlooked? (This could be because of things such as stigma, other distractions, low amount of awareness, etc.)
Anonymous reponse #1- “Because people are scared [of] admitting people around them could be addicted to stuff.”
Anonymous response #2- “I think many awareness months are overlooked. Partially I believe this is because it’s not taken seriously. I think some places spread awareness but not enough information is spread. I think this could be improved by telling more personal stories, rather than statistics.”
Anonymous response #3- “I feel that people have no hope in it. Especially when you are close to someone dealing with it. My dad has been dealing with his alcoholism for longer than I’ve been alive and he always lies about where he’s at and getting help so I feel like it’s hard for me to have faith in his recovery.”
Anonymous response #4- “No one [wants] to bring attention to something that is a big issue like addiction.”
Anonymous response #5- “People are judgemental when it comes to addiction.”
Anonymous response #6- “I think stigma is a big part of it. I think addiction in general is something that has been shamed in our society. It’s definitely gotten better, but I feel like it’s something that people want to keep hidden, whether it’s their own addiction or that of someone they love.”
Anonymous response #7- “I think there’s a big stigma around addiction, making it seem as if people who become addicted must just be ‘bad people’ rather than seeing it as another mental illness.”
Anonymous response #8- “I think there’s bigger issues that are more important right now, so addiction (a smaller but still big issue) isn’t given as much attention.”
Anonymous response #9- “I think that addiction awareness is overlooked because it’s something that many struggle with. Most have an addiction whether it be drugs, sex, or any other factor. People don’t want to address [their) addictions as an actual struggle because they fear that they wouldn’t make it through a [withdrawal phase]. So as a result addiction is generally ignored and not conversed.”
Anonymous response #10- “Because suicide prevention month is the main idea for most people when think recovery or addiction”
What is your relevance to addiction? Have you watched friends or family members struggle with it? What was that like?
Anonymous response #1- “I have struggled with a self harm addiction.”
Anonymous response #2- “Family. It’s rough growing up grasping the concept of what is going on and realizing how it’s affecting everyone else.”
Anonymous response #3- “My dad is an alcoholic along with other members of my family.”
Anonymous response #4- “I’ve watched friends and family [struggle with addiction]. It’s really hard watching the people you love the most slip away and not being able to do much to help them.”
Anonymous response #5- “Many high schoolers struggle with nicotine addiction and [it’s] very overlooked.)”
Anonymous response #6- “My dad is a recovering alcoholic and has been sober for almost 9 years, and I have a couple of other family members who have struggled with addiction over the years. My relationship with my dad was very very strained and I had a lot of anger and resentment towards him. Through his recovery though, we’ve rebuilt our relationship and I honestly could not be more proud of him.”
Anonymous response #7- “I have seen a few friends struggle with it. It's a little stressful, because even if it doesn’t ‘get bad’, I was constantly worried about them.”
Anonymous response #8- “Yes I’ve had family members with addiction, rehab seems to be the best solution.”
Anonymous response #9- “I watched my father go through a slight opioid addiction to prescribed meds like pers, morphine, and fentanyl after a surgery. He almost took his head off while going through [withdrawal] and was never the same after. Many don’t know how hard it actually is to withdraw from an addiction and the [withdrawal] systems can hurt you and everyone around you physically and emotionally.
“Addiction is a terrible thing and ruins people's lives without them realizing it. Most know that addiction is wrong and the idea that people persecute those who have addictions is sickening. Addiction [withdrawal] is a necessary step to recovery but it can be very hard, so that’s why it’s important for society as a whole to not look down on those who break their sobriety and instead keep encouraging and being there for those who struggle.”
Anonymous response #10- “I've struggled all my life and seen myself suffer in silence with no one noticing. It sucks to live a life where whatever I do isn't good enough for myself or others but they don't see me beating myself up for that, only I see that. It absolutely sucks not being in a place to reach out.”s