student wearing a backpack with facts matter pin

Are the Narcan Memes Lying to You?

Whether you are in recovery from addiction in New Hampshire or somewhere else, you’ve seen the meme. “If Narcan is free for drug addicts, why isn’t chemotherapy free for cancer patients?” Wrapped up in this seemingly harmless little question is a Pandora’s Box of stigma, bias, and ignorance, jeopardizing any attempt by recovery advocates to…

man pointing to the camera in blue shirt

The Stigma of Addiction

Stigma is an ugly word. Sure, it’s like any other word in the English language – devoid of emotional meaning unless you have experienced it firsthand – but its ugliness isn’t limited to experience. Stigma denotes human judgment and suffering. Merriam Webster defines stigma as “a mark of shame or discredit : STAIN”. To be stigmatized, therefore,…