This community has a problem. And the first step toward solving it is to acknowledge it.

Prescription drug addiction is at an alarming level. But as it is with many taboo subjects in this community, the stigma is preventing Arab Americans from facing the dangerous reality.

Addiction is a disease. There is no shame in seeking treatment. The shame is in hiding the illness and allowing it to destroy our society.

It is true that the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention has dubbed prescription pills addiction a national epidemic. But as Dr. Sam Fawaz told The Arab American News last week, the issue is more prevalent in our community.

Lack of oversight and the generational cultural gap makes it easy for young Arab Americans to stray away and fall into the abyss of addiction.

In the face of reluctance to seek mental health treatment because of yet another stigma, many people turn to illegal drugs to self-medicate against anxiety and depression.

Fearing for the reputation of the family, siblings and parents often turn a blind eye to their beloved ones’ drug problems. All these factors make the Arab American community in Southeast Michigan a fertile environment for narcotic abuse.

But even if Arab Americans are at the national level of prescription drug abuse, the epidemic is still frightening; and the community has a responsibility to tackle it. According to the CDC, 7,000 Americans are treated at emergency rooms daily for opioid overdoses. Two young men died within the last month of the same preventable scourge.

Whenever people are suffering, someone somewhere is making a profit. The prescription guidelines for these addictive potentially deadly drugs are inadequate. The recommended dosage, as approved by the Food and Drug Administration, enables abuse. Doctors prescribe these narcotic pain medicines to be taken as needed — up to a pill every six hours. That is four pills daily, 120 monthly.

As young Americans get hooked on controlled substances, pharmaceutical corporations get richer.

We may not be able to change Washington or reform big pharma, but we can make a difference in our own community.

Doctors have to be more diligent before prescribing medication. They should tell patients about the perils of these pills and educate them on how to properly use their medication. Pharmacists should check the validity of the prescription and tell patients how to store the drugs before dispensing them to patients.

Medical professionals are in the business of saving lives. This newspaper is not accusing doctors of malicious intentions, however, we urge them to be more careful and consider the factors that may encourage drug addiction in this community before sending patients to the pharmacy.

Meanwhile, relatives and friends should look for signs of pill abuse and encourage those suffering to get help.

Arab American parents are hard working. But as they dedicate most of their time to their jobs and businesses, children grow apart from the family. Language and cultural barriers contribute to the gap. Anger replaces compassion between the generations. That’s where community organizations, including schools, social and civic services groups and religious institutions, should step in to facilitate the communication.

They should also direct community members to the available resources to address such problems. 

Families are sometimes oblivious to the youths’ conduct. But the wider society has a responsibility to be a big family. Institutions, friends and mentors should be alert and intervene to save those slipping into the deadly world of drug abuse. 

We all can contribute to the solution. However, our silence contributes to the problem.

Denial prevents the cure.