Compassion for Recovering Addicts in Society Reannah Cooper, Brooke Mcateer, Megan Zaccardo, Ariana Cohan, Abigail Kopec Compassion for Recovering Addicts We chose this focus to help students better understand the life of recovering addicts and the science behind addiction Addiction is not only a common disease in society but has a common stigma as well. It is important for everyone to be aware of addiction and not just the stigma behind it How an Addicted Brain Works https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/how-anaddicted-brain-works Stigma and Discrimination https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/stigmadiscrimination#affect Addiction Recovery Programs https://www.shatterproof.org/ Alcohol and Drug Abuse Statistics https://americanaddictioncenters.org/addiction-statistics There is Life After Addiction. Most People Recover https://www.npr.org/2022/01/15/1071282194/addictionsubstance-recovery-treatment Discussion Prompt •Between the five R/V and your personal opinion, which one presented more compassion to you? Why? •Addiction is viewed as a disease by some, but it is seen as a choice by others. What do you think addiction is and why? Refer to at least one of the r/v to support your answer •What positive effects do you think compassion, support groups, and other forms of treatment have on those who suffer from addiction? •In what ways can the stigma that is associated with those who struggle with addiction be corrected? Recovering Addicts in Society Takeaways There’s a few different points we hope you’ll take away from our R/V’s. We wanted to show different things that come with being a recovering addict. Recovering addicts are humans just like you and I, and they deserve a chance free of judgement. Compassion is a key component to helping addicts recover as showing them compassion instead of judgement often yields more positive outcomes. References: ● ● ● ● ● (2022). How an Addicted Brain Works. Yale Medicine. Retrieved October 14, 2023 from https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/how-an-addicted-brain-works Stronger Than Addiction | Shatterproof. (2000). Shatterproof.org. Retrieved October 15, 2023 from https://www.shatterproof.org/ (2022). Stigma and Discrimination. National Institute on Drug Abuse. Retrieved October 14, 2023 from https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/stigma-discrimination Mann, B. (2022). There is Life after addiction. Most people recover. NPR. Retrieved October 15, 2023 from https://www.npr.org/2022/01/15/1071282194/addiction-substance-recovery-treatment Hardey, S., et.al. (2023). Alcohol and Drug Abuse Statistics. American Addiction Centers. Retrieved October 18, 2023 from https://www.recoveryanswers.org/research-post/the-real-stigma-ofsubstance-use-disorders/
