Countless stories exist of youth and families impacted by violence and addiction and despite the common belief that "addiction doesn't discriminate", evidence does in fact show that the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, and work ultimately influence the way people experience addiction. In a 2019 study from Drug and Alcohol Dependence it was found that "across 17 states in 2002–2014, opioid overdoses were concentrated in more economically disadvantaged zip codes, indicated by higher rates of poverty and unemployment as well as lower education and median household income." As stated by Dr. George Albee, "no epidemic has ever been resolved by paying attention to the treatment of the affected individual." During this workshop, participants will apply an anti-oppressive framework to evaluate upstream strategies in addressing social determinants of health.
Source: "Poverty, homelessness, and social stigma make addiction more deadly," September 28, 2021, by Peter Grinspoon, MD, https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/poverty-homelessness-and-social-stigma-make-addiction-more-deadly-202109282602
Crystal Bennett, LMSW, CEO of THRYVE LLC, is an educator, an advocate, a survivor, and a self-proclaimed thriver! For the past 25 years she has been driven by her personal experiences of trauma to elevate and amplify the voices of individuals and communities in order to promote healing and opportunities to move from surviving to thriving.