#addictionstigma

[ehlehmann]

HELP ME END THE STIGMA! Stigma is killing more people than any drug on this earth. @resurrektion_of_me said it perfectly… “My heart is broken that maybe somehow I haven’t made this crystal clear to everyone in my life-⁣ I am a sober person who loves people who use drugs. I don’t mean I love them in hopes that they find recovery. I mean I fucking love them just as they are and I want them on this earth forever. If you use drugs or are thinking of using… PLEASE DO NOT USE ALONE!⁣ ⁣ I invite you to use in front of me. I am a safe and loving person who can watch over you in case anything happens. Narcan is worthless if there’s no one there to administer it.⁣ ⁣ If you are a safe a loving person who wants people who use drugs to know that they can use in front of you too… tell them. Please make sure that they feel accepted and supported.⁣ ⁣ If you’ve been sober and have gone back to using and feel excluded and judged by your recovery circle… get a new fucking circle.⁣ ⁣ Fuck the day count.⁣ Fuck the new comer chips.⁣ Fuck the humiliation tactics.⁣ Fuck the shaming in the name of accountability.⁣ ⁣ A human life matters so much more than any of that superiority bs.⁣ ⁣ I don’t want to lose anymore beautiful people to the stigma that permeates our society. The stigma we swallow and turns into a beast of shame in our souls. Stigma is killing more people than any drug on this earth.⁣ ⁣ No one should feel afraid to ask for someone to sit with them while they use. No one should feel like a disappointment or a burden just because they are struggling or want to use drugs.⁣ ⁣ We have designated drivers for folks who want to drink… we need the same globally supported initiatives for those who want to use other drugs.⁣ ⁣ Period.” #stigmakills #fuckstigma #endstigma #stigmafighter #mentalhealthstigma #addictionstigma #harmreduction #harmreductionsaveslives #harmreductionworks #narcan #narcansaveslives #neverusealone #naloxone #naloxonesaveslives #overdose #overdoseawareness #endoverdose #substanceuse #pwud #cranbrookbc #cranbrook #kimberleybc #agoodplacetobe #mykimberley #eknpud #pwud #peoplewhousedrugs #eastkootenays #peerwitnessing (at Los Angeles, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQylFINsc09/?utm_medium=tumblr

[soberlycomposed]

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[stigma-unraveled]

Language Matters

What we say and how we say it matters.  It is important to be conscious of how we are talking about topics that are known to be stigmatized. As I mentioned in a previous post, Addiction is one of the most stigmatizing conditions and the language we use plays a major role in perpetuating that stigma. We all need to reflect the language we use during these discussions.  With the current opioid crisis, I’m sure that you been a part of some discussion. 

We need to adopt what other people use when they talk about allied disorders.  Individuals with “eating-related conditions” are never described as “food abusers” but described as a “person having an eating disorder”.  If we refer to individuals as suffering from a “substance use disorder” it will likely diminish stigma and enhance the use of treatment.  It is one step that all of us have the power to make.