Probably, you have come across videos or photos of alcoholics or addicts in dire situations on social media. The question is: does public shaming help addicts to quit? Recent studies have found that the resulting embarrassment causes more harm than good. In fact, it tends to drive them to use alcohol or drugs more as compared to before.
In most cases, first responders photograph people who have overdosed themselves and distribute the images on social media. The truth is that most victims are offended by such content. It is time sober people understand what they are going through on a daily basis. Experts at Rehab HC, discourage the sharing and publication of videos and images depicting persons overdosing.
Increased Stigma
According to our experts, such photographs serve to increase stigma against drug and alcohol addiction, without offering solutions to it. It is important for people to understand that addiction is a chronic disease that affects the brain. It is estimated that about 10% of the adult population needs addiction treatment from substance use, alcohol, and behavioral activities such as gaming.
Even though alcohol and drug addiction are quite prevalent in the society, most people are of the view that addiction is a result of moral failure. This paradigm is what contributes to stigma across the country. Moreover, it is the stigma that keeps addicts from seeking effective treatment. Instead, it leads to continued use of alcohol and substances.
Therefore, there is a need to treat addiction as a health problem. This is mainly because it is driven by the brain. The brain has a reward system that prioritizes instant results and miscalculates likelihood of long-term effects. For instance, addiction makes a person do certain things that he or she never imagined to do. Unfortunately, if you have never been addicted before, you cannot imagine how one can do what he or she did.
The Harm Caused by Public Shaming
Most addicts who have been victims of public shaming experience professional and personal effects for their behavior. Ideally, the person addicted already has a feeling of guilt or shame about his or her actions.
You will constantly feel humiliated and ashamed or even cut off from humanity. This will make you feel worse and trigger you to continue using alcohol and drugs without the desire to stop. This explains why an addict feels stuck in his or her life and cannot do anything to improve his or her life.
At Rehab HC, we believe that punishment because of addiction is misguided as it will not end the problem. It is unfortunate that the criminal justice system considers punishment as the way. Although the jail term may be the punishment for their given crimes; it fails to address the root cause of the problem.
We encourage addicts who have been victims of public shaming not to forget where the path of addiction has taken them. They can use the opportunity to change their lives drastically. Thus, they should focus only on the good and not the bad. It is good to use the opportunity to take their sobriety to another level.