CLASSICS REVISITED: Stigma -- Changing the StoryCLASSICS REVISITED: Stigma -- Changing the Story
Coming Up for Air — Families Speak to Families about Addiction
Laurie McDougal and Kayla Solomon talk about stigma around substance use disorder, sharing personal stories of blame and discrimination. They highlight how the CRAFT approach helps families rethink harmful labels and reclaim their power through conscious, informed choices.
25:34•23 Oct 2026
Changing the Story on Stigma and Family Recovery
Episode Overview
- Stigma is framed as negative stories people create about others, which then shape unfair treatment and closed doors.
- Families often experience both direct stigma and vicarious stigma through how their loved ones are treated, especially in healthcare settings.
- The label “enabling” is challenged as a stigmatising term that ignores context and silences meaningful support from family members.
- CRAFT offers a structured way for families to dismantle harmful stories, speak truth without accusation, and build connection instead of shame.
- Becoming conscious of stigma allows families to make deliberate choices, regain a sense of power, and advocate for respectful, equitable care.
“Stigma is the stories that we basically overlay on other people.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This classic episode of *Coming Up for Air* takes a hard look at stigma and how it shapes life for families dealing with a loved one’s substance use disorder.
You’ll hear hosts Laurie McDougal and Kayla Solomon break stigma down into something surprisingly simple: "Stigma is the stories that we basically overlay on other people." Those stories show up as shame, blame, and the quiet dread of family gatherings where you don’t feel you can speak honestly about what’s going on.
They talk about how stigma affects everyone in the picture – the person using substances, the family members, and even professionals who may withhold care based on their assumptions. Laurie shares powerful moments from her own experience, including a hospital nurse refusing her son a glass of water after an overdose and then offering help in a cold, dismissive way.
Kayla adds her childhood memories of watching her mother fight for her developmentally disabled son in the 1960s, using pride and persistence instead of shame. Together, they show how those same skills can be used today when families face dismissive or judgemental responses. A big focus of the episode is the CRAFT approach (Community Reinforcement and Family Training).
The hosts describe CRAFT as a framework that helps families take apart harmful stories about "enabling," blame, and deservingness, and replace them with conscious, practical choices that open doors instead of closing them. They stress that stigma drains power, while informed choices give it back. If you’ve ever felt judged, silenced, or blamed because of a loved one’s addiction, this conversation offers language, examples, and a different way of seeing your role.
It might leave you asking: what story about stigma are you ready to rewrite today?
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