Frame substance use disorder as a medical condition.
Professional organizations—such as the American Society of Addiction Medicine and the National Institute on Drug Abuse—support framing substance use disorder as a treatable chronic medical condition, similar to treating heart disease or diabetes.
Try saying...
Substance use disorder (SUD) is a chronic disease like diabetes. It can be treated with medication and behavioral therapy, which have been proven to work much more effectively than just suddenly stopping. People can and do recover from SUDs. Success rates for SUD treatment are similar to success rates for the treatment of asthma.
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When someone says...
Substance use disorders or addiction are a behavior or habit that a person can stop if they really want to.
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Try saying...
Person with substance use disorder
Person in recovery or remission
Person with a positive drug test
Person living with substance use disorder
Someone who had a setback in his/her recovery from substance use disorder
Baby with [condition (e.g., neonatal abstinence syndrome)]
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Instead of saying...
Addict or alcoholic
Clean
Dirty drug test
Suffering from addiction
Relapsed
Baby addicted to [substance]
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Use “person first” language.
Person-first language puts the person before the diagnosis. It emphasizes the person, not their medical condition or disability. Rearranging words is a powerful way to not let the diagnosis define the person.
Try saying...
People dealing with SUDs need compassion. When people do not feel welcome or accepted, they’re less likely to be honest and ask for help so they can create stability in their lives and be productive members of society.
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When someone says...
People with SUDs are selfish and they brought this on themselves. They don’t deserve handouts.
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Avoid blaming the individual.
Making a person with substance use disorder feel that they’re weak-willed can perpetuate self-stigma and make them less likely to seek healthcare treatment and social support from family and friends.
Try saying...
Anyone can become addicted. In fact, many people with substance use disorders have jobs and families and do not exhibit obvious challenges in everyday functioning.
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When someone says...
You can recognize an addict just by looking at them.
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By changing the conversation around substance use disorder, we are helping to change the beliefs and behaviors of others which can help reduce substance use disorder stigma and its effects on pregnant women and their babies.
Organizations such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Pediatrics encourage universal screening of all women for opioid use disorder to avoid any assumptions or bias about who might be at risk.
Emphasize that substance use disorder can affect anyone.