The Language We Use Is a Mirror of What We Refuse to See
We’ve called it the opioid crisis for so long that the term has become accepted shorthand for an epidemic of overdose deaths, broken families, and struggling communities. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: Calling it an opioid crisis keeps us focused on the substance, not the suffering. It names the symptom, not the source. And in doing so, it absolves the systems and structures that made such widespread despair possible. We use the word opioid as if that’s the enemy. But it’s not. The real enemy is disconnection, neglect, and a society that treats emotional pain as a personal defect instead of a cultural wound. This Was Never Just About a Drug If this were purely about opioids, then why do we see the same patterns with meth, alcohol, benzos, and now xylazine? Why do people cycle through substances — searching not just to escape, but to feel something that the world around them isn’t offering? People weren’t “hooked” because opioids were especially evil. They were vulnerable because they were already hurting. And no one was listening. When we call it an opioid crisis, we bypass the hard questions:
Let’s be honest. The medical-industrial complex didn’t “accidentally” create this. It was built — intentionally or not — on the backs of people’s suffering.
It’s a Crisis of Belonging, Meaning, and Connection In my work with families, I see the same story over and over again. The young adult using substances isn’t “broken.” They’re brilliantly adapting to an environment that doesn’t know how to hold their emotional truth. The craving isn’t for the drug. It’s for:
So What Do We Call It Instead? Let’s name it what it is:
Toward a Different Future What if we stopped chasing symptoms and started restoring emotional capital? What if we prioritized presence over punishment, compassion over control, and connection over correction? That’s the future I’m building through Family WellthCare Coaching. Because we don’t heal individuals in isolation. We heal systems. We invest in the emotional wealth of families, because that’s where the real crisis — and the real hope — lives.
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AuthorTimothy Harrington's purpose is to assist the family members of a loved one struggling with problematic drug use and/or behavioral health challenges in realizing their innate strength and purpose. Archives
June 2025
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