Designed by Substance Dependence expert and Elevyst founder, Sean Fogler, in partnership with RIWI, the SDSI measures the amount of Americans battling with Substance Dependance and the stigma they feel. The Index also measures various mechanisms to help improve the lives of these Americans and everyone around them.
We believe that together we can all make a difference. This Index was created to facilitate this difference – by enabling us to understand how people perceive citizens that are addicted to various drug or alcohol substances across the nation.
The SDSI index measures on a continuous basis all across the US the stigma associated with Substance Dependence. Subscribers to the Index can leverage the data on a continuous basis and drill down by state to understand the issues and possible solutions for specific geographies.
Leaning on previous, validated measures of drug use stigma, we created a face-valid survey instrument that measures diverse components of perceived stigma. Perceived societal stigma (as opposed to personally endorsed stigma) was chosen for this Index to minimize the effects of social desirability bias on responses. To estimate national levels of perceived stigma, we applied weights on gender, age, and state population size in accordance with the US Census, allowing for both state and national insights.
The SDSI leverages RIWI’s proprietary Random Domain Intercept Technology (RDIT). Insights on stigma using this technology include Elevyst and PRO-A’s report discussing a survey of over 30,000 Americans on their opinions regarding social stigma against people who use drugs or are in recovery. The results of this research are published in the ‘How Bad is it, Really? Stigma Against Drug Use and Recovery in the United States.’
The first report will be available April 30th. Subscribe now to access the real-time Index data now.
Sean Fogler is a co-founder and consultant with Elevyst, a physician in long-term recovery, and an advocate for compassionate drug policy. He uses his lived experience to educate and inform, reduce stigma, and improve public health policy for mental health and substance use disorders. Most recently, Sean has worked on several projects in Pennsylvania to expand naloxone distribution, medication-assisted treatment in correctional settings, and syringe service programs. Sean is active in the recovery community and has a special interest in trauma and substance use disorders in healthcare professionals. In addition to his work as a public health consultant, he volunteers as a peer support specialist for Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers and the LiveWell Foundation, and serves on the board of the University of Pennsylvania’s Project RIDE program, the LiveWell Foundation, and the Opioid Use Disorder Committee at Pennsylvania Hospital. Sean holds a bachelor’s degree from The University of Toronto, and completed his residency training in internal medicine and anesthesiology at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA.
Leveraging RIWI’s proprietary Random Domain Intercept Technology (RDIT), Elevyst and PRO-A surveyed over 30,000 Americans on their opinions regarding social stigma against people who use drugs or are in recovery....
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