Still High

The system hasn’t come down yet.

Despite all the statements. All the trainings. All the carefully worded press releases.

Healthcare is still high.

America is high.

High on hierarchy. High on data that ignores lived experience. High on gatekeeping language that protects the powerful and alienates the harmed. High on the lie that proximity to whiteness equals professionalism, safety, and success.

We don’t call it that.

We call it "culture fit." We call it "clinical excellence." We call it "neutrality."

But the symptoms are the same: numbness to pain, disconnection from truth, and a desperate refusal to admit there’s a problem. Denial. Anger. Lashing out.

And like any addiction, the longer we deny it, the deeper it digs in.

Addiction Is Not Just the Act, It’s the System That Protects It

In addiction medicine, they talk about enablers — the people, places, and conditions that make the high possible.

In healthcare, racism’s enablers are everywhere:

• The policy no one questions.

• The executive who always gets a pass.

• The committee that "needs more data" before acting on obvious harm.

• The silence in the room when someone speaks the truth.

The system is addicted not just to power, but to the rituals and routines that maintain it. And here’s the hardest part: some of us are the enablers.

Not intentionally. Not maliciously. But we uphold the high when we stay quiet, when we prioritize comfort over courage, when we tell ourselves that change is someone else's job. When we believe the problem is too big to tackle so why bother trying.

Coming Down Hurts. But Staying High Kills.

There is no sugarcoating this - recovery is painful. The moment you stop chasing the high, the withdrawal begins:

• Your vision clears, and it hurts to see the harm.

• It hurts to reflect on how you caused harm.

• You start to feel everything you were numb to.

• You begin to realize how much damage was done while you were “just following the rules.”

But this pain is not punishment. It’s the beginning of healing. It’s the body - the system - coming back to life.

Reflection: Are You Still High?

Ask yourself:

• What behaviors, beliefs, or systems have I accepted because they’re “normal” in my field?

• Where have I silenced myself to stay safe, and in doing so, protected the high?

• What am I willing to feel in order to lead differently?

Sobriety doesn’t happen in a single moment. It’s a choice. A practice. A journey.

And if we want to rebuild healthcare, not just tweak it, but transform it, we must be willing to get clean.

The system is still high. But we don’t have to be.

📍New here? Start with Post 1: This Is Your High✊🏽 Stay with me. The work is just beginning.

#HighOnEmpathy #TruthTelling #SystemRecovery #CultureShift #RacismIsAnAddiction #RebuildHealthcare #HealthEquity #BoldLeadership #DetoxToRebuild