Racial disparity in substance abuse disorders is no mystery

When you think about addiction treatment and rehab, what do you picture? Maybe a group of people sitting in a circle? One person is talking, the others listening. All lending support to each other, despite not long ago having been strangers. In this scenario, how many of those people in the circle are Black?

A 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows that 6.9% of African Americans have a substance use disorder, a number that is just about equal to the 7.4% of the total population purported to have this disorder. So why are there so few people of color in rehab and/or treatment?

According to the American Psychological Association, within the past five years, “27 million Americans reported dependence or misuse of illicit or prescription drugs. Despite relatively uniform rates of substance abuse among racial and ethnic populations, members of racial and ethnic minority groups are most likely to experience barriers that impede their ability to access substance abuse treatment.”

Studies show Caucasians are 35 times more likely to visit hospitals for buprenorphine, an opioid used to treat opioid use disorder, acute pain and chronic pain, compared to their African American counterparts. Some of the most commonly cited reasons for the low hospital utilization by African Americans include accessibility, insurance and access to information — which are directly caused by systemic and structural discrimination within our healthcare system.

Just as upsetting, is the fact that people of color consistently experience discrimination at every stage of the criminal justice system. This is particularly true in the case of drug law violations. A recent article I read stated it well: if you’re white, you’re sick and go to rehab; if you’re Black, you’re a criminal and go to jail.

Now is the time to face these disparities. As an African American businesswoman, I am an outlier in the addiction recovery world. Very few executives or treatment owners are of color, or have witnessed substance abuse firsthand.

In my three years as the co-owner and CEO of Pivot Treatment and Wellness Centers in Lake Park, I have met countless individuals in need of addiction treatment and help. Unfortunately, very few of them look like me. And those that do are uninformed and unaware that there is support available to them.

I recently spoke with a 40-year-old African American woman from New Jersey. She lost her job and “good” insurance because of her addiction. She wants to get clean but doesn’t want to ask her doctor for the help she desperately needs because she’s embarrassed. She gets her information and advice from other users, and has even gone so far as to buy Suboxone, a drug used to treat opioid addiction, on the streets. I asked her why she doesn’t get a prescription from her doctor. She was clueless as to what resources are available to her through Medicaid, state and federally funded programs, and community outreach organizations.

Herbert Williams, a 65-year-old Black man from Boynton Beach who has over 16 months of sobriety once told me: “I came from the projects in New Orleans where we don’t talk about problems. We sit on things.” For Herbert, he waited nearly 50 years to talk about his problems, his addiction and to seek out help. He finally got it.

Our community doesn’t have the needed information on treatment or addiction resources. It’s not that we are underrepresented; we are not represented at all. It’s alarming because substance abuse disorder doesn’t discriminate, and it shouldn’t be a racial issue. Tanya Young Williams, an African American Delray Beach resident and mom of two, is the co-owner and CEO of Pivot Treatment and Wellness Centers, an addiction-treatment center in the West Palm Beach area. Tanya first became an advocate for those dealing with substance disorders when living with her ex-husband, NBA star Jayson Williams, who had his own highly publicized challenges. Learn more or get in contact at www.pivotcenters.com.