Shatterproof, with support from the Elevance Health Foundation, is leading an initiative to reduce addiction-related stigma among healthcare providers, particularly in underserved communities. This aligns with Shatterproof’s mission to transform addiction treatment and ensure individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) receive compassionate, evidence-based care.
By developing tailored educational resources and collaborating with healthcare systems, Shatterproof aims to reduce stigma, improve care, and ensure dignity and respect for those with SUD.
Addiction Stigma in Healthcare
Addiction-related stigma from healthcare providers towards patients with substance use disorder (SUD) is a barrier for seeking treatment. Of people aged 12 years or older in 2024, 18.2% (or 52.6 million people) were classified as needing substance use treatment in the past year. Of those, only about 1 in 5 (19.3% or 10.2 million people) received it. Additionally, an estimated 80,391 people died from a drug overdose in 2024. People with SUD report stigma as a reason for avoided or delayed care-seeking and for leaving care against medical advice, both of which are related to mortality risk in other medical conditions and across demographics.​
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Reducing the overall level of stigma held by healthcare professionals against people with SUD has potential to help millions more people receive quality healthcare when they need it and open more pathways to treatment and recovery for those who want it.
45%
of healthcare professionals believe SUD to be caused by a person’s own bad character
​
66%
of healthcare professionals are unwilling to have someone with SUD marry into their family, and 47% of healthcare professionals are unwilling to have someone with SUD as a close friend.
40%
​of healthcare professionals believe medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) substitute one drug for another.​​
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48.4 million
people aged 12 and older (or 16.8 percent of the population) had an SUD in the past year.
Less than 20%
of people needing SUD treatment in the past year received it.
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43%​
of people with SUD who felt they needed treatment did not receive it because they worried what others would say or think.​​
Sources:
1. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2025). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication No. PEP25-07-007, NSDUH Series H-60). Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/data-we-collect/nsduh-national-surveydrug-use-and-health/national-releases.
2. CDC, National Center for Health Statistics. (2025, May 14). U.S. overdose deaths decrease almost 27% in 2024 [Press release}. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/nchs_press_releases/2025/20250514.htm.
3. Simon, R., Snow, R., & Wakeman, S. (2020). Understanding why patients with substance use disorders leave the hospital against medical advice: A qualitative study. Substance abuse, 41(4), 519–525. https://doi.org/10.1080/08897077.2019.1671942
4. Biancarelli, D. L., Biello, K. B., Childs, E., Drainoni, M., Salhaney, P., Edeza, A., Mimiaga, M. J., Saitz, R., & Bazzi, A. R. (2019). Strategies used by people who inject drugs to avoid stigma in healthcare settings. Drug and alcohol dependence, 198, 80–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2019.01.037
5. Van Boekel, L.C., Brouwers, E.P.M., van Weeghel, J., Garretsen, H.F.L. (2013). Stigma among health professionals towards patients with substance use disorders and its consequences for healthcare delivery: Systematic review. Drug and Alcohol Dependence (131)1-2, 23-35. 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2013.02.018
6. Shatterproof. (2024). Shatterproof Addiction Stigma Index report: a new way forward. https://www.shatterproof.org/sites/default/files/2024-09/Final%20SASI%202024.pdf
Participants receive:
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5-6 Free CME/CEUs accredited by the American Society for Addiction Medicine (option to complete additional modules for additional CME/CEUs)
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Modules cover:
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SUD 101
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SUD Stigma 101
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Clinical Applications (MOUD, Clinical Screening, Harm Reduction)
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Patient-Centered Care
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Health Equity
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CME/CEUs eligible to submit for MATE Act requirements
Eligibility:
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Program available to licensed medical professionals in the U.S.
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DOs
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MDs
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NPs
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APRNs
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PAs​
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Optional research study available for providers located in California, Georgia, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Texas, and Virginia. ​Please, email providerspathway@shatterproof.org to express interest.
