How stigma can disguise the true impact of the opioid crisis.
“My whole thing is to lift voices that are unheard,” says M, a harm reduction worker in British Columbia. “To be given that opportunity is absolutely an honour.”
She explains that unheard voices and stories are often due to the stigma associated with drug use. If someone suffers from an overdose—there’s a certain shame and narrative involved that makes it hard to talk about.
M recalls a close family friend. A former drug user, he’d been sober for nearly a decade, dedicating his life and energy to helping others stay sober and recover. He’d recently achieved a career goal in transportation. Life was good. Then, a relationship fell apart and in a low moment, he used heroin again—but it was laced with fentanyl. He died, and despite his near decade of selfless, important, compassionate work, there was no celebration of life. M suspects stigma was a factor.
She tells of two others, both successful trade workers. Neither had any history of opioid misuse or experience using opioids, though in their youth they had done party drugs. In their cases, they had obtained some cocaine. One was coping with the passing of a loved one. The other was simply getting ready for a party. Once again fentanyl had found its way into their drugs. Both died, devastating families and friends.
It’s like Russian roulette,” says M. “You’re going to get a bad batch. Anything pill, or anything powder, cannot be trusted.
Opioid-related deaths can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime. And when it too often does, stories like the ones above can fly under the radar. The blindsiding nature of it, the judgment and speculation from others—it can cause survivors and surviving families to withdraw instead of sharing and warning others.
“We are all part of a fabric, we’re all on this train ride together,” says M. “And if we don’t understand that and we decide that some people aren’t worth it, that will be our downfall.”