One Year Anniversary of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Stigma is a major public health issue that describes negative attitudes or beliefs associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person. The social stigma associated with the disease of addiction can be damaging to a person’s self-esteem, their relationship with loved ones, and can prevent those who have substance use disorder from seeking treatment.

Shatterproof, a not-for-profit organization focused on addressing the addiction crisis in the United States, has published a new comprehensive addiction guide that draws attention to stigmatizing language around addiction and offers alternative words and phrases.

At the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ), we aim to educate New Jerseyans not only on the dangers of addiction, but on living a healthy lifestyle free of drugs and alcohol. It is so important to remember that stigmatizing language plays a role in how those who struggle with substance use disorder see themselves and correlates to making these important healthy lifestyle choices.

This is particularly important as we mark the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has isolated people, leading to stress and depression among residents of New Jersey and others across the United States.

I hope that you will be able to join us tomorrow at 11 a.m. for our next Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day Learning Series Webinar, “The Perfect Storm: COVID-19’s Impact on Addiction Over the Past Year​.”
This is the seventh collaboration between PDFNJ and the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. It will examine how this pandemic has affected the opioid and addiction crisis over the past year and ways New Jersey continues to overcome those barriers.

Continued wishes to stay safe and well.

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