Addiction can shatter a life and touch an entire family. We know this heartbreak deeply. We lost our son-in-law, Dylan, the father of our grandboys, at only 37. I wish we could have saved him. Sharing Shatterproof’s mission honors his life and offers hope to another family. No one facing addiction, or loving someone who is, should feel ashamed or alone. We hope sharing this story might help save one life.
What is Shatterproof’s mission, and how are you changing the way America understands and treats addiction?
Shatterproof is a national nonprofit dedicated to ending the addiction crisis in America. We work to transform treatment, break down stigma, support families, and ensure substance use disorder is treated like the chronic health condition it is.
Our vision is a future where people with substance use disorder receive the same quality care, compassion, and support as anyone facing another health condition. We pursue lasting change through education, advocacy, public awareness, and improved access to evidence-based care.
How does stigma prevent people from seeking help, and how can we replace judgment with compassion?
Stigma is one of the greatest barriers to prevention, treatment, and recovery. It can leave people ashamed, isolated, and reluctant to seek help, while families suffer in silence for fear of judgment.
We can help by treating substance use disorder as a health condition, not a character flaw: using respectful, nonjudgmental language, listening with empathy, and recognizing recovery is possible. Small shifts in how we talk about addiction can profoundly affect whether someone feels safe asking for support.
What should people struggling with addiction, and families feeling frightened and alone, know about finding support?
You are not alone, and recovery is possible. Millions of individuals and families have found hope, healing, and support. Help is available, effective treatment exists, and reaching out is a sign of strength, not weakness.
Families need support, too. No one should navigate addiction alone; communities, resources, and organizations are ready to help.
Individuals and businesses can join the Shatterproof Walk to End Addiction, share their stories, volunteer, become advocates, and educate others about substance use disorder and recovery.
We want people to know that they are not alone and that recovery is possible.
“Grief is the price we pay for love.”
—Queen Elizabeth II
BOOKS TO OFFER HOPE
Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People Change
By Jeffrey Foote, Carrie Wilkens, Nicole Kosanke and Stephanie Higgs
This compassionate, evidence-based guide helps families support someone struggling with addiction while replacing confrontation and judgment with connection, kindness and effective communication.
A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis — an honest, faith-centered reflection on love, loss and the difficult journey through grief. HarperCollins