A new study from the United Kingdom Drug Policy Commission finds that recovering
addicts still confront everyday social stigma, which makes their road to recovery a difficult one. The authors of the study discovered that almost half of Britons say they would not want to live next door to a former drug addict. Attitudes about drug addiction are compared to outdated beliefs about mental illness and claims the language used to describe addicts only intensifies the situation.
"Words such as 'junkie' ought to be as unacceptable as 'lunatic' or 'psycho'," said the authors of the report.
The Getting Serous About Stigma report found that recovering addicts faced challenges finding jobs and also struggled to receive health care.
"Reintegration and recovery of drug users will simply not happen unless there are changes made to tackle stigma," said Roger Howard, the chief executive of the United Kingdom Drug Policy Commission.
The study surveyed 3,000 adults across England. They had mixed feelings towards addicts and those in recovery. Forty three percent said they would be unwilling to live next door to a former addict. More than fifty percent of respondents said they would not trust a recovered addict to babysit their children. It was evident that there is widespread belief that addiction happened because the person lacked self-control and willpower. Eighty one percent of the survey respondents believed it was important for those in recovery to be included in the "normal community."
The impact of the public's attitudes make it a continual struggle for addicts to move towards a meaningful recovery. Addicts face widespread prejudice, discrimination and constant discouragement. It is estimated that 330,000 people in England struggle with drug addiction and that only one in three seeks treatment for their addiction.