In addition to our own original content, we are sharing some articles around the web regarding pregnancy and substance use. While this isn’t a widely discussed topic, there are some wonderful people sharing wonderful information.
Dual Services Needed for Domestic Violence and Opioid Use, Researchers Say
“There’s already so much stigma around opioid use and partner violence and when you pair that with living in a rural area where everyone knows everyone, women describe not wanting to go to the clinics,” Campbell says....As IPV and OUD loom on rural communities, Stone suggests people educate themselves about stigma. “If you want to learn more, victim advocacy organizations are amazing. Find one in your community to see if they’re running an education event,” she recommends. “If you don’t feel like it’s a personal issue for you, it’s an issue for your community. We need all the resources in our community to be strong and healthy.”
‘We’re losing a whole generation’: How Experts Are Treating Opioid Addiction in Native Communities
“We have a stigma against people who are struggling with mental health, we tend to push them away or tend to look at them some sort of way,” Roe said. “In our community, we can't afford to do that. We can't afford to have a stigma against our people that are sick, that are experiencing homelessness, because we're losing a whole generation. We're losing a whole generation to opioids.”
VIDEO: Reframing the overdose crisis from an Indigenous perspective
Asked about her fondest hopes for the film, Black added:
”It is my hope that community members will be inspired to reframe how they perceive and discuss addiction and overdose risk in this community. “
“It is my hope that those who are struggling with opioid use will seek medical care, resources and supports to confidently begin on their own healing journey.
“It is my hope that we can further normalize the conversation and experience of coping with substances/opioids and start focusing on solution-focused responses to the current opioid crisis.
Opioid crisis is still not just a ‘white’ problem
The opioid crisis shows why racism in health care is always harmful, never ‘protective’
“Calling racial bias protective is misguided and harmful for several reasons. There is widespread suffering and even death caused by the lack of pain treatment. There is also potential to further stigmatize racial minorities who do have opioid use disorder. Overshadowing all these factors is the persistent legacy of this nation’s history of deeply rooted, structural racism.”
A guide for companies that want to fight the stigma around opioid addiction
"Public health officials fear the pandemic could spark a wave of new addictions due to increased drug and alcohol use linked to historic unemployment, as well as isolation fostered by state shutdowns and stay-at-home orders."
Check out this guide on how companies can fight stigma in the workforce during this ongoing pandemic!
A tale of two epidemics: When COVID-19 and opioid addiction collide
Social isolation during the pandemic is increasing, which can lead to an increase in substance use. Stigma around COVID-19 is also impacting treatment and care. "What we need to do now is reach out more than ever to those who are struggling … so that they are not alone and forgotten during this dual crisis of coronavirus and addiction.”
