Our health is our life. When we have it, we take it for granted. When we lose it, it’s all we can think about. This month in celebration of where healing and health collide and converse, we look towards removing the stigma of a health issue that’s affecting more and more Americans: addiction. Addiction is not a crime. It’s not just something for the back alleyways, or only in rural America. It enters through the picket fence and into the boardroom; it shatters families rich and poor. It’s a powerful disease and it can happen to any of us. Overdoses now kill more of us than breast cancer, gun violence and car crashes combined. It's not just a health problem- it's a public health crisis. That’s why this month we’re highlighting SHATTERPROOF. |
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Shatterproof is a national organization working to reverse the addiction crisis in the United States. They save lives by revolutionizing addiction treatment, reducing stigma and educating communities. Shatterproof works on every front - from advocating on the frontlines to creating policy to offering access to information to those in recovery and their families. They directly advocate for change, helping people take action to end the addiction crisis in their communities.Together they've helped pass 20 policy changes in 18 states that benefit over 182 million people. |
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People suffering from addiction receive punishment more often than treatment. More than half of those in state prisons and two-thirds of people awaiting sentencing in jail exhibit problematic substance use, or meet the criteria for addiction. And penalties are doled out inequitable: racial and ethnic minorities, especially Black and Latinx Americans, are significantly more likely to be arrested and receive stronger sentences for drug-related offenses. |
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Shatterproof has established a national standard of care for addiction treatment within the healthcare system. These principles of care have been adopted by 23 insurers representing 200 million people. Check it out. |
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Their app ATLAS provides info on different treatment facilities that compares their options so those who are seeking treatment have agency in their recovery. Visit ATLAS |
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The faces of addiction span every class, race, location, occupation. But it's important to remember that everyone who has suffered from addiction has a story, a face, a family. That's one of the reasons we appreciate Shatterproof. They never forget the individuals at the heart of every case. There is so much more to learn. Check them out directly HERE. |
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We’re excited to support SHATTERPROOF this month and throughout the year through our Community Supported Action Fund. Thank you for your support now and always. |
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Connecting the basic needs dots ... There’s no way to talk about health without talking about our environment, education, food, clothing, shelter, identity, economy, justice… And in our current world, health as a basic right is hard to maintain, easily exploited, and costs just too damn much. With so much built-up pain and systems that don't nurture us, most of us have to turn to some method of coping just to get by– whether we're talking binge-watching or opioids. And when it comes to shifting patterns of addiction, and the changing substances that can harm whole communities, whole generations... it's going to take more than focusing on one issue to change things. |
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Photo Credits & Descriptions: 1. Group of advocates for Shatterproof celebrate recovery event. 2. A support group with 12 participants in a circle. 3. The Shatterproof Principles of Care PDF. 4.ATLAS site on an Iphone. 5. A montage memorializing 9 of those lost to addiction. |
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