Posted on 2022-03-23 1:00 AM By ConnexOntario
Addiction is a disease. Even when we understand that, it can be difficult to talk openly about. Yet communicating effectively during this time is crucial. That’s why this article explores how to talk openly about addiction.
OUR LANGUAGE
When we treat addiction as the disease it is, it changes our language. We’re framing it as a health issue, showing respect to the person suffering from addiction as well as their family.
Compare the language you use when talking about addiction to how you would speak about asthma (for example). You wouldn’t define a person as “asthmatic” or use it when introducing them. In your mind, they are “a person with asthma”. The same should be true for a person with “a substance use disorder”.
The word “addict” perpetuates the negative stigma associated with their illness. These terms bring shame and negative judgment, instead of the support they need. When we reshape our language, it allows a person sufferin ...