The Brink: Prof. Lee’s Work Illustrates How Substance Use Treatment is a Social Justice Issue
Prof. Christina Lee has investigated the connection between stigma, racism, mental health, and alcohol misuse for the past two decades. For too long, the dialogue around immigrant mental health and alcohol use has undervalued the role that structural factors play. In an interview with The Brink, she highlights how substance use treatment is a social justice issue.
Excerpt from “How Racism and Bias Influence Substance Use and Addiction Treatment” by Andrew Thurston, originally published by The Brink:
Kicking a heroin or opioid use disorder through a methadone treatment program takes dedication and lots of time. Every morning, often before the sun is up, patients at public clinics stand in line, waiting for their turn to be watched as they swig a little cup of the powerful medicine. It’s a process they’ll have to repeat day after day—perhaps for at least a year depending on their treatment plan. Little wonder some call methadone “liquid handcuffs.” But there is an alternative: buprenorphine. It can be prescribed in a doctor’s office and taken in the comfort of a private home. No standing in line, no distrust, no stigma.
Now guess which treatment white people are more likely to have access to compared to people of color. The answer is perhaps sadly predictable: buprenorphine.
For addiction psychologist and health inequities expert Christina Lee, it’s just another example of something she sees demonstrated again and again in her research: substance use treatment is a social justice issue. A BU School of Social Work associate professor, she studies the impact discrimination, racism, and bias have on risky behaviors, especially excessive drinking, and efforts to curb them. In a series of recent papers, Lee has examined ways of making addiction treatment more socially and culturally aware, showing how boosting counselors’ attention to the inequities and stresses faced by heavy drinkers—particularly Latinx people—can improve treatment outcomes. She’s also found a connection between discrimination and depression, a substance use risk factor.”