Anti-Stigma Language Guide

We’re really pleased to launch our first report on stigma and language, which you can read on this page or download here.

We hope it will be a useful guide for organisations that are less familiar with the drug and alcohol treatment sector’s terminology. Whether you work in healthcare, media, retail, hospitality, manufacturing or farming and financial services there will be something relevant in this report.

Use of language sets the tone for how we treat people in society and how we expect to be treated. But we want to avoid policing language to the extent that we hinder open discussion about substance use. We shouldn’t be embarrassed or defensive if we think we might have said the wrong thing, because stigma is so culturally embedded, and everyday language has become so loaded with that baggage, it’s easy to do. We need to remember as a society we’re relatively new to working out how to talk about drug and alcohol use in a way that doesn’t shame, blame or discredit people.

This is our first report on language and it won’t be our last, so please do let us know what you think. As language evolves, and our consciousness expands, we’ll keep reviewing and updating. Please send your comments to info [at] antistigmanetwork [dot] org [dot] uk (info[at]antistigmanetwork[dot]org[dot]uk).