Breaking the Stigma of Addiction
Merrit Hartblay '76, MSW '16
Presented on: Wednesday, October 22nd 2025 at 12:00 PM EDT
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See this webinar on the Alumni Association's YouTube channel.
Breaking the stigma of addiction is essential to creating a more compassionate and effective approach to recovery. Too often, those struggling with substance use disorders are judged harshly and seen as morally flawed rather than individuals facing a complex health condition. This stigma can lead to shame, isolation and a reluctance to seek help.
By shifting the conversation to emphasize empathy, education and evidence-based treatment, society can foster a supportive environment that encourages healing. Understanding addiction as a medical issue - not a personal failure - is key to promoting recovery and restoring dignity to those affected.
Hartblay is a therapist, social worker and chemical dependency counselor. He provides counseling for individuals and families struggling with substance abuse and addiction issues. He is also a lecturer for the Outreach Training Institute, which has trained more than 3,000 prospective and active drug and alcohol treatment counselors since 1997. He lectures several times a year at Binghamton University. Hartblay is on the advisory board for Drug Free Long Island, and provides talks on suicide prevention and intervention.
The views expressed by presenters are their own and their appearance in a program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Binghamton University.