Speaking out From the Shadows
Women in particular may be afraid to get help during or after pregnancy due to possible legal or social fears and lack of child care while in treatment.
Addiction is insidious and agnostic.
The words, feelings, experiences, and stories are similar among those fighting the addiction, as well as those affected by the addiction: Fear. Worry. Anxiety. Embarrassment. Shame. Guilt. Sickness. Grief. Hurt. Broken. Damaged. Marginalized. Rejected. Forgotten. Alone. Invisible.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, women's substance use tends to progress more quickly from first use to addiction.
It can be hard for any person with a substance use disorder to quit, but withdrawal may be even more intense for women. Further, “women in particular may be afraid to get help during or after pregnancy due to possible legal or social fears and lack of child care while in treatment.” And once in treatment, women often need support for handling the responsibilities of work, home care, and other family matters. Even after treatment and recovery, many describe having to live life in the shadows.
The Opioid Crisis
Lorraine M. Martin, President & CEO, National Safety Council
Two women (who wish to remain anonymous) in heavy construction and infrastructure stepped forward to share with MOXY a glimpse into their lives, which have been disrupted, derailed, or in part destroyed by their own addiction to opioids or the addiction of a loved one.
Both women have a different reason for not wishing to reveal their names. One fears shame and scorn from new work colleagues. The other fears reprisal from her employer, who does not know about her addiction. The names in these vignettes have been changed to further ensure their anonymity.
Patricia’s Testimonial
Patricia is a project manager for a construction engineering firm. She is a spouse and mother of working age children. When her youngest child was in high school, she sought medical attention for chronic joint pain from tennis. After her prescription ended, she found herself taking occasional tablets from her youngest son’s prescriptions, which were written for his wisdom teeth and then for a major sports-injury surgery. She said she took the pills mostly on weekends to numb the stress of her job at the end of a long week. The pills offered her a release from the pressures of full-time work and family expectations.
Patricia explained that she quickly knew she was becoming addicted to the pain medication. She told her doctor and husband she needed help.
She informed her employer she needed time off to attend to a family emergency and used accrued vacation and unpaid leave to attend rehabilitation out of town. She returned to work after 10 weeks and has had no further issues now for many years. Patricia considers herself fortunate, and she knows she “dodged a bullet” of addiction’s dark side. She said she sometimes feels guilty that she got off “so easy.”
Mary’s Journey
Mary is a single mother after a divorce caused by her opioid misuse that led to financial ruin. Her first dose of opioid pain medication followed a severe lower back strain from a work-related injury as a laborer. When the injury first occurred, she did not seek medical attention. She worked through the pain, but soon, after starting opioids, she realized she was “hooked.” Within months, she was unable to function on or off the job without pills. After the prescription refills ended, she found herself buying pills on the street. When that supply dried up, she turned to heroin because it was accessible and affordable.
She experienced a four-year downward slide that included losing everything: her marriage, custody of her child, home, and savings. Her parents never gave up on her, and she slowly climbed out of the deep pit she found herself in. She successfully completed rehabilitation treatment after several attempts. She returned to work but in a less demanding role.
She describes her life as “clean” but as “fighting a daily battle of demons.”
She names faith, friends, and family as her secret powers to model healthy behavior for her child and offer support to women beginning the recovery journey.
The Power of Lived Experiences
The stories shared by Mary and Patricia are brave and personal accounts of how addiction treatment and recovery helped overturn challenges in their lives. As such, lived experience stories are personable and relatable, which make them memorable. Effective lived experience stories share three common elements: hope, help, and recovery. Lived experience stories shine light on mental health and substance misuse. They highlight the humanity involved and how everyone is affected by these circumstances. This promotes hope and lets individuals know that help is available, and that recovery is possible.
Sadly, not all lived experience stories have happy endings. Opioid addiction is an equal opportunity destroyer. Opioids are a ruthless abuser of relationships, families, jobs and careers, dreams, and even life itself. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported that the number of overdose deaths exceeded 100,000 for May 2020 to April 2021. Approximately 70% of overdose deaths are attributable to opioids. Moreover, 73% of all opioid overdoses result from fentanyl, a synthetic opioid. Other sources of overdose deaths include cocaine and methamphetamine.
The United States is back in the crosshairs of a major crisis with overdoses from substance misuse. After more than doubling in the past five years, the number of overdose deaths continues to rise. Prior to the pandemic, America’s addiction and overdose crisis was a growing concern. However, the isolation, loneliness, stress, anxiety, and disruptions of the pandemic exacerbated the problem.
How it Starts
Individuals do not set out to become an addict. Addiction is known to be a progressive disease. Like other substances, opioids offer the allure of easing pain and stress by numbing emotions and deadening feelings. Quickly the allure wears off, and a daily struggle of feeding the beast of addiction becomes a fight for survival.
There are many possible routes for the first dose of opioids. The major pathways include:
Recreational and experimental drug use
Dental extractions
Surgical procedures
Work-related injury
Excess prescription medications
Many families are experiencing the grief of loss due to opioids and other addictions that resulted in overdose deaths. However, in the spirit of hope, there are many lived experience stories that result in reconciliation, restoration, and redemption. When addiction treatment and recovery are successful, there is a real chance of reclaiming a new chance at life. The journey begins with the first step.
Resources
National Institute on Drug Abuse. Naloxone Drug Facts. drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/naloxone
National Safety Council. Begin Addressing Opioids in Your Workplace. nsc.org/pages/prescription-drug-employer-kit
SAFE Project. Stop the Addiction Fatality Epidemic. Safety Plan. safeproject.us/safety-plan/
Shatterproof. Substance Types and Effects: Opioids. shatterproof.org/learn/addiction-basics/substances-and-effects/opioids
Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline. samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline
About the author: Cal Beyer, CWP, SCTPP, is vice president of Workforce Risk and Worker Wellbeing for CSDZ, a Holmes Murphy Company.