Drawing on a classic stress-vulnerability model and other theoretical and empirical insights, layers of human vulnerability to distress and despair are described. The powerful roles that stigma, cultural attitudes, and social structures play in turning people toward despair are illustrated and addressed, and contrasted with the concept of “recovery relationships,” emanating from the writings of people with lived experience. The authors argue that the current epidemic is largely the result of disruptions in the outer layers of vulnerability, the loss of social capital, and forces of social and technological change. The vicissitudes of becoming human are deeply influenced by the fabric of our immediate relationships, the communities in which we live, and the larger social currents at work in our lives.