Gardner Residents Join Fight Against Drug Addiction Stigma

Gardner Residents Join Fight Against Drug Addiction Stigma

+ click to enlarge Courtesy  photo Gardner residents stand outside City Hall on Monday night to participate in the state’s social media campaign against drug addiction stigma. The campaign is spreading on social media sites with the hashtag StateWithoutStigMA. + click to enlarge Courtesy photo Mike Duggan, an addict in long-term recovery and founder of the Boston area organization Wicked Sober, speaks to the crowd of Gardner residents standing outside City Hall on Monday night to participate in the state’s social media campaign against drug addiction stigma. Andrew Mansfield Reporter GARDNER  — Gardner residents are standing together with the rest of the state against the negative stereotypes associated with drug addiction, calling for it to be seen as a disease. “I can’t tell you how many times I was called a junkie, a scumbag, a loser. We’re dealing with a sickness,” said Mike Duggan, founder of the Boston area organization Wicked Sober, which helps addicts seeking treatment. A large cohort of Gardner leaders and residents gathered outside City Hall Monday night to join a new state social media campaign aiming to eliminate stigma surrounding drug addiction. Michelle Dunn, who lost her daughter Alyssa to drug addiction in 2013, is the founder of the Assist Educate Defeat Foundation, located on Coleman Street, which like Wicked Sober seeks to help addicts in recovery. “Take a look around you and take a look at your neighbors; somehow they’ve been affected,” she said. Ms. Dunn said that ad­d­i­c­tion is a “chronic rel­ap­sing brain disease” and using dr­ugs is a choice the fir­st time, but “af­t­er that your br­ain be­c­o­m­es hijacked.” She added that addicts in recovery deserve compassion, saying they are “some of the strongest people I’ve ever met.” Mayor Mark Hawke said that showing compassion for drug addicts seeking recovery does not mean ignoring the need to hold them responsible for their actions. “We are not looking to give anyone a free pass, we’re looking to help those who are looking for recovery,” he said. The message against stigma is spreading on social media sites under the hashtag StateWithoutStigMA. Mr. Duggan is from Arlington and came to Gardner to speak to the crowd about his story. After suffering a sports injury in high school, he began to take prescribed Percocet for pain relief and became addicted, leading him to eventually abuse heroin because it was a “cheaper, alternative substance.” Mr. Duggan said he is in long-term recovery from addiction, being sober since April 2009. He and his father run Wicked Sober together. “In order to get more resources, we have to advocate as a community,” he said. The state started the social media campaign as part of the Opioid Addiction Working Group that was created by Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration to find ways to curb the problem of drug addiction in the state. Joining the mo­v­ement is as simple as sha­­r­ing the hash­tag StateWithoutStigMA on sites like Facebook and Twitter, or taking a photo with a sign of support for eliminating stigma that can be printed out on the state’s website. The campaign also involves taking a pledge acknowledging that “addiction is not a choice, it is a disease” and promising to help addicts by “empowering them to seek treatment and a successful recovery.” “I’ve learned that the stigma is real. It’s one of the biggest epidemics we’re facing right now,” said City Councilor Nathan Boudreau. He said the state-led campaign “moved me more than I’ve been moved in a long time.” Mr. Duggan thanked the crowd for their support and said local leaders such as state Sen. Jennifer Flanagan, D-Leominster, have been instrumental in leading the state to address the issue of drug addiction. “I’m thankful to be in a community that is so open to this,” said Ms. Dunn.