History / Politics
How the D.A.R.E Program Harmed Me As a 6-Year-Old Child
My caregiver thought it would be funny to offer me a sip of alcohol
Right now, I’m taking a class to get a certification that will help me advocate for members of a homeless community that I began working with a couple of months ago. Today, I was learning about the history of substance use disorder treatment and the back and forth that has happened over the centuries between stigmatizing people who are suffering from this illness and making real efforts to help.
Since many people experiencing homelessness cope with constant life- threatening trauma through use of substances, it’s critically important for me to better understand how this illness works to support people through their recovery.
One of the things that was mentioned in my class today was the War on Drugs. As I witnessed throughout my childhood and adulthood, this was the beginning of an effort by the government to incarcerate people who use drugs. Due to systemic racism, it has disproportionately harmed Black people in the United States. The resulting stigma has made it harder to get support for substance use disorder, which has actually contributed to the drug epidemic in this country. Fear of incarceration has also led people to avoid…
