Stigma and the Language of Addiction

Stigma influences attitudes toward individuals and groups, and these attitudes are expressed in how we as a nation have dealt with addiction in general and the opioid crisis in particular. Stigma is defined as a strong lack of respect for a person or a group of people or a bad opinion of them because they have done something or have traits of which society disapproves. Stigma creates misperceptions about how to end the opioid crisis and acts as a barrier for individuals with opioid use disorder to seek treatment and engage in recovery. Public attitudes toward addiction need to be changed to effectively end the epidemic, as does the language used to describe individuals who misuse drugs. Misperceptions and lack of understanding of addiction as a chronic disease have promoted the criminalization of individuals with substance use disorder rather than a public health approach. The case is made for policy changes that support new policy directions that stress parity in treatment for mental health and substance misuse with other “physical health” conditions as well as suggestions for better communications strategies to reduce stigma.