Danny and his wife Kathy owned a gourmet grocery store in Sacramento together. When Kathy died from a mental health condition and substance use disorder (SUD), their employees felt the impact. She was a meaningful part and a fixture in their community. “Kathy’s death wrecked them all,” Danny says. "She wanted help, but she didn’t want people to know about it because she was afraid of how she would be judged.”

Today, the conversation is changing at their store. Kathy’s story has brought something into the light. “It’s brought us closer together as an organization. We’re having more conversations. There seems to be a little bit more compassion. It’s brought conversations where I’ve had people sitting going, ‘I think I might have a problem.’ It’s happened three times and that’s in three months. And I start getting online and tapping into some of the network that I’ve been working on, and there’s a lot of help out there. There’s some really good programs.”

When we talk about SUD, we overcome stigma. When we talk about SUD, more people can get the help they seek. Explore treatment options in California at TreatmentAtlas.org.