Breakthrough is dissolving stigma by creating spaces where truth can be spoken, witnessed, and honored. We nurture environments where people can share their experiences without fear, and where diverse voices are lifted to challenge assumptions and widen understanding.

WHAT IS STIGMA?

Stigma is the distortion of truth. It’s the weight of fear, shame, and judgment placed on people struggling with their mental health, substance abuse, and recovery. It shows up as silence, stereotypes, and systems that fail to see the whole person. Stigma keeps people from seeking support, receiving care, and being recognized in their full humanity - leaving them feeling hopeless, isolated, and making their recovery journey more challenging.

FORMS OF STIGMA

Stigma doesn’t show up in just one way. It moves through our culture in layers — personal, social, and systemic — shaping how people are seen, treated, and understood.

PERSONAL: The internalized shame that convinces people to hide their struggles, blame themselves, or avoid seeking help.

SOCIAL: The harmful assumptions society makes—like the belief that people with addiction are weak, dangerous, or morally broken.

SYSTEMIC: The laws, policies, and systems that restrict access to care, housing, employment, and justice.

THE REALITY OF STIGMA

Stigma isn’t abstract. It’s measurable. It’s happening every day — in families, in healthcare, in policy, and inside the minds of people who desperately need support. These numbers aren’t just statistics. They’re people. They’re parents, partners, coworkers, neighbors — and too often, they’re suffering in silence because stigma tells them they should.

STIGMA DRIVES CRIME & CRIMINAL‑LEGAL OUTCOMES

Stigma fuels criminalization — not crime itself

Research shows that people who use drugs are often treated as criminals rather than individuals with a medical condition. This stigma directly shapes policing, charging decisions, and sentencing.⁶

Criminal convictions are a documented consequence of stigma

The CDC notes that substance‑use disorders can lead to criminal convictions, not because people are inherently dangerous, but because stigma pushes them into punitive systems instead of treatment.⁷

Stigma increases the likelihood of justice involvement

People who use substances report that stigma shapes their lives through criminalization processes and criminal-justice involvement, creating cycles of surveillance, arrest, and punishment.

Criminalization is rooted in moral judgement, not public safety

NIDA highlights that stigma and criminalization are intertwined — society often treats substance use as a moral or criminal issue, especially for illicit drugs, rather than a health condition. This leads to harsher legal responses and increased justice involvement.