Opinion: As a physician and a patient, I’ve seen the damage caused by the stigma of addiction. It must end
Although the disease of addiction is now obscured by the dark cloud of the Covid-19 pandemic, it continues to tear America apart. It’s a relentless killer, fed by anxiety and uncertainty, and enabled by the attitudes of the health care providers who are supposed to be caring for people with it.
I led two lives for more than a decade: I worked as a physician, caring for the sick and suffering. I also struggled with addiction, using cocaine and other drugs to manage post-traumatic stress — a consequence of surviving the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. I loved my work, but the drugs kept me alive, managed my pain, and allowed me to function.
