| Hans-Günter Meyer-Thompson | international
USA. a disease not a moral failing.
USA. a disease not a moral failing.
Stigma refers to when individuals are discriminated against, devalued, rejected or excluded as a result of belonging to a particular group. Addiction-related stigma prevents people who are struggling from reaching out for help and isolates families affected by addiction who fear being judged by their communities. In 2018, 16 percent of individuals with a SUD did not seek treatment because they worried that it would have a negative impact on their employment; and approximately 15 percent felt it would impact their community’s view of them. (stopstigma.org, USA, Oktober 2020)