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The other struggle drug addicts face: Being labelled weak, not sick
Most people, including doctors, need to overcome their own biases against those struggling with addiction.
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Almost all doctors will encounter patients who are addicted to various substances, says the writer.
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He was a young man who was admitted to hospital because he felt suicidal. It was nothing new – ever since he started using drugs, he had had these recurring thoughts of self-destruction.
He had done things while he was on drugs, and while trying desperately to get drugs, that filled him with shame and self-loathing. To blot out these feelings, he would get high again. He had gone through rounds of detoxes, stays in halfway houses, and a rotating roster of well-intentioned helpers. And now, once again, he was back in hospital.
