Sharing the Message –
September 1, 2018 – To combat the epidemic, state officials and prevention organizations say they’re changing the way they treat the addiction. That plan involves focusing more on getting victims help to survive the disease.
“The opioid epidemic is tearing apart people’s lives. People are losing their jobs, they’re losing their homes, they’re losing their families, their children, their friends, and sometimes … they’re losing their lives,” says Angela Conover, of Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey. Conover says addiction is a disease that impacts the way the brain functions. As opioid abuse has surged in recent years, conversations about addiction have moved out of the shadows. But there are still those addicts who not only suffer the stigma of the disease, but also the shame and humiliation of admitting to it.
