Story highlights Chris Heide: The most difficult thing I had to do was try recovery again after I relapsed

Successfully beating addiction takes more than just administrative changes to health care policy, he writes

Chris Heide is a recovering addict, the recipient of the Kaplan Award for Narrative Journalism and is the co-Founder and editor-In-chief of Chosen Magazine, a publication that shares the stories of those who continue to fight with their addictions. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own.

(CNN) My sobriety date is March 19, 2013. This date will enable me to persevere for the rest of my life.

Chris Heide

Social stigma accompanies the opioid crisis and prevents many people from seeking the help they need. The popular misconception is that addiction is some sort of moral failing; that it is simply picking the wrong choice. When society insists that addiction is a choice, it perpetuates a culture of guilt and shame, which inevitably keeps addicts from seeking help.

In order to truly fight this crisis, public discourse needs to change. As leaders and citizens in cities, states and the nation realize how wide-ranging the scope of the opioid crisis is, the question of what to do next should be a key part of the health care discussion.

In 2016, more Americans died from a drug overdose than died in the Vietnam and Iraq wars -- more than 64,000 -- combined. This sobering statistic sheds light on the fact that America is embroiled in the largest drug epidemic in US history.

For many years of my life, it seemed that I would become nothing more than a victim of my addiction. But I am one of the fortunate souls who had a chance at recovery. At 21, I was prescribed opioid pills, by a medical professional, for back pain. Slowly -- but surely -- I became addicted, and in just a few years, my life was falling apart. Without treatment, I would have become a part of the staggering overdose statistic.

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