The use of stigmatising language negatively impacts people who use drugs in a variety of ways, affecting their self-worth, increasing their use of substances, isolating them, and preventing them from seeking support. Our vision is to constantly find ways to support more people to discover new possibilities in their lives. Working to remove barriers caused by stigma is essential.
It offers some key principles to help us reduce stigma through the language we use around drugs and alcohol. It also provides some alternative words and phrases to consider, replacing those which may contribute to people feeling stigmatised, with more up-to-date, inclusive language. It can be used to read through and reflect on personally, or to share with others and discuss together.
It was co-produced with people with lived experience and colleagues at Turning Point who worked together to explore this topic and draft the guidance.
Drugs and Alcohol
5 mins read
A Guide to Speaking without Stigma
We have developed some guidance is aimed at people working in drug and alcohol support and other health and social care settings with the aim to reduce the stigma around talking about drugs and alcohol. Many of the people we support experience stigma daily. It is vitally important that we provide them with a different experience when they come to us.
