Imagine that you are a recovering addict on a methadone maintenance program. Imagine too that you are in need of physical rehabilitation following serious orthopedic surgery. What do you think are your options for care?
Since this is happening in my family right now, I can tell you that the answer to the question this: not many. The facility my family member ended up in is a hell hole. The food is barely fit for pigs. The physical therapy is non-existent; the care orders and prescriptions given at the time of discharge from the in-patient rehabilitation center are not followed. The facility is dingy, old and depressing. It is chronically understaffed. The ground she gained while at in-patient rehab is completely lost. This is what happens as a result of stigma and shame for people who struggle with addiction. No one wants addicts so they end up in the worst of the worst places.
According to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, opioid-involved overdose deaths rose from 21,088 in 2010 to 47,600 in 2017 and remained steady in 2018 with 46,802 deaths. This was followed by a significant increase in 2019 with 49,860 overdose deaths.
Since 1999 nearly 841,000 people have died from a drug overdose. This is the number of people in a medium size city.
- Synthetic opioids (other than methadone) are currently the main driver of drug overdose deaths. Synthetic opioids account for 72.9% of deaths.
- Drug overdose deaths involving psychostimulants such as methamphetamine are increasing with and without synthetic opioid involvement.
- Opioid overdoses that do not lead to death are several times more common than fatal overdoses.
Opioid addiction is equal opportunity. It strikes women and men of all ages, socioeconomic status, education and income. In our rush to judgement we tend to think it happens “somewhere else” i.e. not in our community and not among people like us.
As the pandemic dragged on fears were raised that already-rising drug overdose deaths could surge even further amid social isolation, economic stress and disrupted access to treatment facilities and providers. These fears were realized with a staggering 93,351 deaths in 2020.
Even though the numbers are rising, societal attitudes toward addiction and overdose have not changed for the most part. The judgement, stigma and shunning that happens to addicts and family members with addicts is stunning. The question people think but do not ask parents is ”what did you do wrong to make your kid an addict?” The question people think but do not ask addicts is “why can’t you get your s*** together and kick this thing?”
It would be wonderful to think that the church is a place where such judgement and lack of compassion doesn’t happen. Sadly, that is not the case. While there are some exemplary communities supporting people in recovery, the majority fail miserably.
Much of what we know or think we know is flat out wrong. It’s that simple. And to the extent that we are ignorant about the nature of addiction it is easy to sit on the sidelines and pronounce our seemingly morally high ground judgements.
Addiction is a complex disease that has many components. Life circumstance, genetic pre-disposition, emotion and physical pain are just a few of the things that impact substance abuse. And who are we to pass judgement?
Judging others makes it impossible to love them. Above all, we are called to love one another.
It’s a good time to ask what Jesus would do. The gospels demonstrate that Jesus consistently reached out to the sick, disenfranchised and broken people of the world in which he lived. The gospels further demonstrate that Jesus was all about healing and restoring.
That’s not to say that Jesus was all mushy and warm fuzzy. Jesus didn’t shy from the truth. Inasmuch as he spoke truth to power in his public ministry, he also spoke truth to those who were trapped in their own brokenness. The rich young ruler, Nicodemus and the woman at the well were people Jesus confronted with the truth. It wasn’t a moralistic judgement passing, but rather a statement of truth and a call to wholeness.
During his earthly life Jesus also called people to community as a place to live out their growing wholeness. As Jesus’ people in the world this now falls to us. And the only way we can do this is by digging deep, routing out our prejudices and judgements and learning how to love as Jesus loved. It is something we never fully accomplish, but neither are we exempted from the command. It is the discipline of a lifetime.
The Irreverent Reverend 