change 4 the kenai
Connect Community, Save lives
Challenging Stigma
Focus Area
Challenging Stigma
Stigma is defined as “a mark of disgrace or infamy.” The stigma of addiction is the disgrace and infamy associated with the disease. Symptoms of alcohol and other drug addition, such as impaired judgement, can result in negative consequences including legal, work, and relationship problems. These kind of consequences can cause embarrassment and shame among those addicted. These consequences also create stigmatized perceptions about addiction to the wider public.
Change 4 the Kenai, along with our community partners, is committed to challenging the stigma and stereotypes of addiction associated with drug and alcohol addiction by: highlighting recovery, sharing messages of prevention and recovery, building community to save lives, educating the public, collaborating with coalitions, agencies and medical professionals in the community.
FOCUS AREA: CHALLENGING STIMGA
How Society Views Addiction
Social Impacts Include:
- Deaths
- Crimes
- Health Care Costs
- Increase in Hepetitis C
- Family & Relationship Trauma
Impacts in Alaska:
This infographic (right), provided by the State of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, outlines some of the impacts of Heroin use in Alaska.
FOCUS AREA: CHALLENGING STIMGA
Making a Bad Situation Worse
The shame associated with stigma feeds into isolation and denial that push people deeper into the addictive process and farther from the hope and options of recovery. Stigma pushes public policy away from a medical response to addiction and toward punishment. This adds up to a hard fact: many people who need help are not getting it, even though we have the technology to treat addiction and the networks in place to support ongoing recovery.
FOCUS AREA: CHALLENGING STIMGA
Looking to Tomorrow
Change 4 the Kenai (C4K), along with our community partners, is committed to challenging the stigma and stereotypes of addiction associated with drug and alcohol addiction. Our primary strategy is to highlight people who are in recovery. In this way we celebrate real people with real community connections. We can show that people do recover. We also believe celebrating real people from our community helps others see that addiction affects individuals who are productive, intelligent, talented, and moral as the next person.
1. Highlight Recovery.
GOAL:
Shine a light on people in recovery to illuminate that people actually do recover from drug and alcohol addiction; it’s a chronic disease that can be successfully managed for life; and that it can affect anyone.
IMPLEMENTATION:
Photovoice Projects, Recovery Walkathons, Color Run/Walks, Blogs, Podcasts
2. Share Messages of Prevention and Recovery.
GOAL:
Share educational messages that focus on prevention and recovery to highlight the facts about addiction and point out myths.
IMPLEMENTATION:
Facebook, Blogs, Podcasts, Education Modules, Trainings, Videos
3. Build Community, Save Lives.
GOAL:
Through engaging residents and increasing communication and options for positive interactions, connections will be made that lay the framework for mutual support and understanding.
IMPLEMENTATION:
Community events, resource guides, education modules, task forces, safe neighborhood initiatives, networking among agencies.
4. Public Education.
GOAL:
Increase the public’s awareness and understanding about the truth and science of addiction.
IMPLEMENTATION:
Education modules to help people understand addiction; provide accurate information about addiction in public forum and events; blogs; podcasts
5. Collaborate with Coalitions, Agencies, and Medical Professionals in the Community.
GOAL:
Increase collaboration between other agencies and community members by combining efforts in shared goals and supporting others when possible to decrease stigma and increase efficiency of efforts.
IMPLEMENTATION:
Involve multiple organizations in coalition meetings, invite others to public events sponsored by C4K, educate local agencies, doctors, and others about support options.
FOCUS AREA: CHALLENGING STIMGA
Learn More
The effectiveness of interventions for reducing stigma related to substance use disorders: a systematic review.
This study provides a systematic review of existing research that has empirically evaluated interventions designed to reduce stigma related to substance use disorders.