“You’re never going to be anything but a drug addict…”: identifying non-stigmatising language in the context of substance use

Aims. There is no agreed-upon terminology which researchers, practitioners and others can use to appropriately describe people with addictions in ways that are not stigmatising. This study therefore aimed to identify the terminology that should be used to refer to people with addictions according to members of that population and accounting for the effects of stigma and the personal experiences and beliefs of participants.
Method. This study employed a qualitative design using a thematic analysis to analyse the data. The participants were seven US adults (five females and two males) that identified as ‘in recovery’ from addiction to drugs and/or alcohol. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews.
Results. Stigma against people with addictions is prevalent and affects them in many ways. Most participants believed that person-first terms were currently the best non-stigmatising way to refer to people with addictions. However, most participants also reported that an ideal term to refer to this population does not yet exist.
Conclusions. Person-first terminology appears to be the best current option to describe people with addictions.