Photos by Kathy F. Atkinson
January 07, 2026
Dan Sweeney has watched family members struggle with substance use and addiction, and is in recovery himself, so he knows that these waters are choppy.
Now Sweeney is using his experience to support others in charting their own paths to recovery by sharing the right messages and resources that are critical to successful outcomes.
After completing his master’s degree in communication in the University of Delaware’s College of Arts and Sciences in May 2025, he partnered with atTAcK addiction — a local organization dedicated to fighting substance use disorders and the problems they create — to gather insights from the community that will inform the nonprofit’s outreach and counter the persistent narratives of stigma and shame.
With funding as a UD Graduate Community Engagement Summer Scholar, Sweeney spent the summer connecting with atTAcK addiction leadership and staff, attending public events and recruiting community members to share their stories through research interviews.
Programs manager Brandi Parks is one of the first people visitors meet at atTAcK addiction’s resource center in Bear, Delaware. She worked with Sweeney to identify research participants and develop interview questions. Parks said she was impressed by his ability to connect to the community.
“Wanting to learn more about how [substance use] is so stigmatized, and what we can do to change it,” said Parks. “Just his willingness in itself speaks volumes.”
The two also collaborated to imagine how Sweeney’s research could be most useful to the community. Using what he learns from the interviews, Sweeney will produce print and digital materials that support people when they are most vulnerable. His work will supplement the organization’s messaging with anonymized stories of lived experiences.
“[Dan] has a particular interest in identifying the resources that people access along the way,” said Valerie Earnshaw, professor in the College of Education and Human Development’s Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, who serves as Sweeney’s project advisor.
