STIGMA & LANGUAGE.
The words we use can cause harm — or help create connection.
Stigma happens when people are labeled, stereotyped, judged, or treated as less deserving because of drug use. It can show up in conversations, healthcare, workplaces, policies, families, and entire communities.
And its consequences are real.
When people expect judgment, punishment, or rejection, they may be less likely to ask for help, access healthcare, carry naloxone, talk openly about their drug use, or use around someone who could respond in an emergency. Stigma creates isolation — and isolation can increase harm.
WORDS MATTER.
BUT HOW WE TREAT PEOPLE MATTERS MORE.
STIGMA IS MORE THAN LANGUAGE.
LABELING
Reducing someone to their drug use instead of recognizing them as a whole person.
JUDGMENT
Assuming drug use means someone is irresponsible, dangerous, dishonest, or doesn't care about themselves or others.
STIGMA DOESN'T HELP PEOPLE CHANGE.
IT MAKES IT HARDER TO STAY CONNECTED.
EXCLUSION
Denying people access, opportunity, healthcare, housing, employment, or community because they use drugs.
CONTROL
Assuming people who use drugs cannot be trusted to make decisions about their own lives and imposing help instead of working with them.
THE LANGUAGE WE USE MATTERS.
Language changes. The goal isn't to memorize a list of “right” words — it's to talk about people in ways that preserve their dignity and don't define them by a behavior, diagnosis, or circumstance.
INSTEAD OF:
Addict / Drug abuser
Clean / Dirty
Drug abuse
Failed treatment / Relapsed
Getting clean
TRY:
Person who uses drugs / Person with a substance use disorder
Not currently using / Currently using —or when talking about testing—Negative / Positive
Drug use / Substance use
Treatment wasn't effective / Returned to use
Entering recovery / Stopping use
PEOPLE ARE MORE THAN THEIR DRUG USE.
PERSON FIRST. ALWAYS.
DON'T ASSUME SOMEONE WANTS RECOVERY.
Offer support without making abstinence the price of receiving it.
DON'T MAKE PEOPLE PROVE THEY DESERVE HELP.
Food, housing, healthcare, safer supplies, naloxone, and human connection should not be rewards for changing a behavior.
LISTEN TO PEOPLE WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE.
People who use drugs understand risks, barriers, and their own communities in ways institutions often don't.
We can use all the “right” language and still stigmatize people through the way we treat them.
Respect means listening without assuming. It means offering information without demanding a particular outcome. It means recognizing that people who use drugs are capable of making decisions about their own lives.
WORDS ARE ONLY PART OF IT.
RESPECT ISN’T SOMETHING PEOPLE HAVE TO EARN.
Dignity without conditions.
STIGMA HAS REAL CONSEQUENCES.
Stigma isn't just uncomfortable or offensive. It can affect whether someone feels safe seeking healthcare, talking honestly about their drug use, accessing treatment, carrying naloxone, or asking for help during an emergency.
When people have been judged, dismissed, punished, or treated differently because they use drugs, avoiding systems and services can become a way of protecting themselves.
HEALTHCARE
Fear of judgment can keep people from sharing important information with healthcare providers or seeking care when they need it.
OVERDOSE PREVENTION
Shame and secrecy can lead people to use alone or hide their drug use, making it harder for someone to respond if an overdose happens.
ISOLATION INCREASES RISK.
CONNECTION REDUCES HARM.
TREATMENT & SUPPORT
People are more likely to engage with services when they are treated with dignity, given choices, and allowed to define their own goals.
COMMUNITY
Stigma can push people away from family, housing, employment, services, and other sources of stability and connection.
MYTH: “They just don't care about themselves.”
REALITY: People use drugs for complex reasons. Drug use doesn't tell you how much someone values their life, family, health, or future.
CHALLENGE THE STORY.
A lot of stigma starts with what we believe about people who use drugs.
MYTH: “They have to want help.”
REALITY: People deserve healthcare, safety, connection, and resources regardless of whether they want treatment or recovery.
MYTH: “They chose this.”
REALITY: Substance use and substance use disorder are shaped by many factors, including biology, environment, trauma, mental health, access to care, and the drug supply. Reducing something this complex to a moral choice fuels stigma rather than understanding.
WE DON'T HAVE TO AGREE
WITH SOMEONE'S CHOICES
TO CARE WHAT HAPPENS TO THEM.
MYTH: “Harm reduction enables drug use.”
REALITY: Harm reduction acknowledges that drug use is happening and provides practical tools that reduce illness, injury, and death. Keeping someone alive doesn't prevent recovery. It preserves the possibility of whatever comes next.
CONNECTION SAVES LIVES.
Reducing stigma doesn't require having all the answers. It starts with seeing the person in front of us as a person.
Listen. Stay curious. Offer help without conditions. Respect people's choices. Make room for people to be honest without fearing what will happen if they are.
We can create communities where people don't have to hide in order to belong.
EVERY PERSON DESERVES DIGNITY. RESPECT. CONNECTION.
NO EXCEPTIONS. NO CONDITIONS.
HARM REDUCTION STARTS WITH KEEPING PEOPLE ALIVE.
Whether you're looking for supplies, information, training, or support, we're here.