Laurie Krom, MS
Director, ATTC Network Coordinating Office
The child is looking at the camera.
The woman is turning blue.
The text associated with the post explained that the police department decided to share the images so that the public could see “the other side of this horrible drug.” They also mentioned that the man and woman both lived, after receiving lifesaving care from a medical team. The Facebook post went viral almost immediately and was picked up by many local and national news outlets. I am not included a link to that post here. I do not want to give it more legs.
I saw the post on my Facebook feed on Friday, September 9, as I waited to board a plane in the Reagan National airport. I live in Kansas
City and was in DC last week for the kick-off of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Recovery Month. The theme for Recovery
Month this year is “Join the Voices for Recovery: Our Families, Our Stories,
Our Recovery!” As part of the kick-off activities, I attended events with
numerous people in recovery themselves and/or who are part of the recovery
movement. It is one of my favorite times of year, as those of us who work in the
behavioral health field are renewed by hearing the transformative stories of the
individuals, families, and communities who benefit when people who are sick are
provided the support they need to get and stay well.
So it was jarring, to say the least, to find the East
Liverpool police department post. As many, I was shocked by the images. I
suspect it was the police department’s intent for the images to be shocking.
Beyond that, however, I was disheartened by the comments posted in response to
the post. Not only were the comments misinformed, they were vitriolic. A number
of people expressed a desire to see both the man and woman die. I was on a high
(pun intended) from having been with my recovery movement allies. The
commenters’ explicit and pejorative remarks were a slap in the face to remind
me how much hate and discrimination still exists when it comes to people with
substance use disorders.
I immediately felt compelled to respond on my own Facebook
feed: “I have so many feelings about this
post. As a mom, all I can think about is that poor baby and how I just want to
hug him and tell him it will be OK. As an advocate (and, frankly, a human), I
see how much work there is to do. We know from decades of research that
addiction is a chronic, recurring disease that affects both the structure and
function of the brain. The people you see overdosing in these images are not
garbage. They are sick. A number of the commenters on the post say that they
hope the woman and man are dead. I have to tell you this breaks my heart and,
simultaneously, infuriates me. Recovery from addiction is possible and there
are MILLIONS of people who were once as sick as these people, but who are now
well. I am fortunate to know and work with people in recovery on a daily basis
and my life is so much better than it could ever have been because of it. So
when you look at these images, I invite you to see what I see - a family in
crisis due to severe illness that we, as a community, should ensure has all
the possible health and human services they need to thrive in the future.”
 |
| Anna Mullins & William Smith with their daughter. |
A number of my friends and colleagues in the recovery
movement also posted responses to the East Liverpool post. One response was
particularly apt. Facing Addiction
shared a response from William Smith and Anna Mullins. The couple posted an image
of themselves holding their young daughter, a child about the same age as
the one in the image shared by the police department. The description included
with this family’s image stated, “The
East Liverpool Police Department posted an image attempting to show “the other
side” of addiction. In reality, the photo posted was the devastating side of
addiction too many of us see far too often. The #OtherSideOfAddiction the
public needs to see is #Recovery. We are William Smith and Anna Mullins and
this is our daughter Layla, from New Jersey. We are 2 of the more than 23
million Americans and their families in recovery from addiction. We are working
with Facing Addiction to spread messages of compassion, empathy and support as
new tactics for curbing opiate overdoses and preventing addiction.”
I am reminded by a mantra that one of our recovery movement
leaders has said for years. When talking about the so-called need for people to
“hit rock bottom” before they can heal, Bill White urges us to
reconsider. He explains that people do not stay addicted to alcohol and drugs
due to an absence of pain. Rather, addiction continues due to lack of HOPE.
Let’s all honor William and Anna and the many, many families like them who have
found recovery and provide hope to those who are still sick by making recovery
infectious. Make posts, tweets, images and videos that show the promise and
possibility of recovery go viral. Speak up and speak out in social media. Be a
voice for the family in East Liverpool. Amplify the voices of William and Ana.
Join the voices of recovery. Our families. Our stories. Our
recovery.
Laurie Krom, M.S., is the Director of the ATTC Network Coordinating Office. She also serves as a Program Director in the Collaborative for Excellence in Behavioral Health Research and Practice at the University of Missouri-Kansas City's School of Nursing and Health Studies. In addition, Ms. Krom is the PI/CO-Director of the CDC-funded National Capacity Building Assistance for High Impact HIV Prevention Resource Center. An experienced educator, instructional designer, and technology transfer specialist, Ms. Krom serves in an advisory capacity for several national groups.
No comments:
Post a Comment