Jonathan Avery: What people dealing with addiction need

When my wife and I lost our infant son to congenital heart disease, we were surrounded by compassion. Friends, colleagues, even acquaintances reached out with tenderness. Our grief, while devastating, did not have to be borne alone.

That compassion deepened when notable figures like former NFL tight end Greg Olsen and late night host Jimmy Kimmel spoke publicly about their children’s congenital heart disease. Hearing them share so openly turned my private heartbreak into something recognizable — and even shareable.

Addiction, by contrast, rarely receives the same embrace.

Addiction as spectacle

Hollywood is full of people in recovery, yet when addiction is portrayed — in memoirs and on screen — it too often becomes spectacle. The recent coverage of Charlie Sheen’s new memoir, “The Book