The quality of our mental health and
well-being ebbs and flows.
During periods of difficulty, many people resort to drug and substance use to cope.
These behaviors can often become repetitive, causing the already vulnerable
person at hand to develop dependencies and, ultimately, an addiction.
It is important to understand addiction in its truest sense:
it is a medical disorder, not a moral failing.
Profound stigmas surrounding poor mental health and
addiction make it incredibly difficult for those
struggling to seek help.
Fear of judgment, social exclusivity, and a hindered capacity to function as
they normally would due to poorly impacted physical and mental well-being are some
of the most prominent barriers to reaching out for support.
Moreover, there are innumerable barriers
to receiving adequate addiction treatment, with foundational approaches often
criminalizing substance use and stripping away patient autonomy.
Offering holistic support to remedy this ongoing global health issue is absolutely
necessary to protect the well-being of those suffering.
Illegal drug or substance use has been
on the rise in Canada, quickly manifesting into an epidemic of its own.
A complex entanglement of factors has contributed to this,
including the increasing contamination of the drug supply by fentanyl,
among other synthetic harmful substances, over-deep-rootedprescription of opioids or pain
relievers by physicians and medical providers, and a deep rooted dependency
that forms as a result of a long-term treatment plan that includes opioid usage.
It is important to recognize that the usage of opioids and other
stimulants as a basis for medical treatment is incredibly risky.
Many people become dependent on these
painkillers and develop attachments that often end up in fatalities.
Statistics indicate that approximately 44% of adults aged 55 and above have used
a prescription opioid, of which 1.1% use them daily.
Usage is very difficult to regulate,
and as such, many people spiral into addiction.
As of 2021, at least 19 people lose their
lives to opioid overdoses every single day, and this number is likely grossly
understated, which further proves the urgency of the situation.
94% of overdoses are accidental.
Opioid users also often succumb to numerous health complications,
such as sedation, nausea, dizziness, tolerance, and respiratory depression.
Regulating narcotic usage is incredibly
difficult, and attempting to overcome an addiction is even more mentally-taxing
due to the complex physiological effects that come with addiction interventions.
Drug addiction is a persistent disease with the potential to continually relapse.
The consumption of the drug leads
to prominent and sometimes long-lasting behavioural changes.
When individuals stop using drugs, problems that may arise can encompass:
anxiety, display of depression, and withdrawal symptoms.
The physiological effects of withdrawal can be incredibly painful,
causing around 80% to 90% of individuals to relapse back to drugs.
However, with prolonged and consistent
drug usage, it has been recognized that the brain will become altered
and changes in motivation and learning responses have been witnessed in humans.
When individuals with drug addictions
attempt to abstain from using, it often becomes difficult to sustain due
to the negative impacts they are dealing with.
A study reports that individuals that are
frequent drug users do not want to receive treatment.
However, the reason behind the refusal is that the drugs have impacted neural
circuits, causing changes in self-awareness and emotional decisions.
Interventions for the treatment of drug addiction include: individual counselling,
medications, and continual follow-up to keep consistent progress with patients.
When going through the stages of withdrawal,
medical professionals can aid individuals, with both prescriptions and technological
interventions with medical devices, to aid with detoxification.
Furthermore, in treatments,
doctors can prescribe individuals with prescriptions that will diminish
the cravings for drugs and help improve the damage the brain has gone through.
For example, those with an addiction
to opioids can take doses of methadone to help prevent relapse.
Additionally, individuals may turn to receive help from Alcoholics Anonymous.
However, this program may not be successful in helping individuals,
as the program is linked to beliefs that may not be stable althoughllness
and drug addiction are often correlated,
individuals who have drug dependencies typically tend to receive more severe
stigma than those with mental illness, likely because drug use is not seen as
a medical condition, but rather an act of personal choice or moral failure.
As a result,
those who use drugs for personal interest can be considered more responsible
for their state and more dangerous to society.
The stigma associated with drug addiction is often usually structurally reinforced
by the government policies contributing to its widespread acceptability.
This drug stigma is incredibly problematic given that the stigma is a barrier
to treatment-seeking and community integration.
Furthermore, stereotypes endorsed by healthcare
professionals and researchers act as critical barriers to undertaking research
involved with people with a history of drug addiction.
In 1973, harm reduction was recommended
by the 20th World Health Organization Expert Committee
on Drug Dependence as an alternative to drug control.
Throughout the mid-80s, harm reduction was adopted in many
countries, including England and Australia.
The Harm Reduction Model is a set of practical strategies and ideas aimed at reducing
negative consequences associated with drug use.
Harm reduction provides people who use substances with a choice of how they will
minimize harms through non-judgmental, non-coercive strategies in order to enhance
skill and knowledge to live a safer, happier life.
Examples of harm reduction include: using
a nicotine patch instead of smoking, consuming water while drinking alcohol,
using substances in a safe environment with someone they trust,
and needle exchange programs for those who inject drugs.
Through implementation of these strategies, the Harm Reduction Model has
been shown to greatly reduce morbidity and mortality associated with drug use.
In 2001, Portugal decriminalized all illicit substances and implemented harm
reduction policies to help those with an addiction to drugs get treatment.
After the laws were changed, the opioid epidemic levelled off
and the country started seeing drops in addiction, HIV infection,
overdose-related deaths, and even
drug-related crime and incarceration.
While the drug problem has not completely
disappeared, their success in decriminalization
of drugs can serve as a helpful model for other countries to implement.
Canada and the United States have recently
evaluated decriminalization of drugs, as multiple provinces and states put motions
forward to consider drug decriminalization legislation. In February of 2021,
for example,
the Government of Canada tabled Bill C-22, which is a bill proposing to purge
mandatory minimum penalties for multiple criminal offenses,
including several of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act drug supply offenses.
Therefore, we might expect a change
in the current laws on decriminalization of drugs in North America.
The war on drugs across Southeast Asian
countries like the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia,
all of which have adopted policies that largely center around punishment
and retribution of drug usage, see the opposite effect in their
population's abilities to regulate substance use and addiction.
Death penalties, punitive measures, and forced
rehabilitation are all strategies taken to enforce a strict no-drug policy.
However, research conducted by neuroscientist Carl Hart,
from Columbia University, concludes that these efforts are all in vain.
Youth with substance use addictions
become even more vulnerable to social exclusion, which tends to have an even
more detrimental effect than addiction would.
Criminalization and harsh discipline do
not change substance abuse outcomes, but instead, exacerbate the mental
and physical wellness of those struggling to overcome addiction.
Addiction is extremely difficult
to navigate for individuals directly suffering as well as for their loved ones.
Establishing gentle, non-compulsory treatment methods
that safeguard patient agency and integrity is vital.
Enacting Harm Reduction Models as the basis for treatment across the nation
may be the key to doing so, given that they provide a safe,
controlled space with sterilized needles, naloxone kits, and medical personnel
on hand to safely monitor drug usage and prevent fatalities.
Patients do not need to be policed, but rather need genuine unwavering support.
The onus is on us to give them what they deserve.