Tina M. Meehan: Not so enlightened

The candid, courageous compassion of Clay Shephard’s family to write his obituary as a cautionary tale is commendable. Addiction, in all its dark permutations, is indeed “a growing problem” as the June 6 article “Obituary for Wake County man who died of drug overdose goes viral” states. Whereas addiction’s genesis resides primarily in genetics, it is in the darkness of shame and ignorance that it infects every strata of society.

These days we are quick to acknowledge addiction as a disease. We consider ourselves enlightened and progressive in doing such. Yet we still find it remarkable when someone has the courage to bring it into the light.

This story was originally published June 8, 2015 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Tina M. Meehan: Not so enlightened."