People with substance use disorder (SUD) have a medical condition and need medical care. Yet the language often used to describe people with substance use disorders tends to blame or demean them, creating a stigma that interferes with their opportunity to seek treatment.

Eliminating stigma is one of the first steps to helping people with substance use disorders access the medical care they need.

We are asking individuals and organizations to learn about and commit to eliminating the stigma surrounding substance use disorders by changing the language they use.

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Take the Pledge | Learn More About Stigma | Explore Person-First/Person-Centered Language | Learn More About Substance Use Disorder (SUD)

Take the Pledge

Ending stigma is about preventing the judgment and shame imposed upon people with substance use disorders so that we create an environment that promotes healing and recovery in a supportive and respectful way.
The words we use directly influence our thoughts and feelings about others. We can help eliminate stigma by adjusting how we talk about it.
By pledging to “Shine a light” on stigma, you are making a conscious decision to think about your words and choose person-centered language. This shift will elevate the person and help eliminate the discrimination that stigma creates.

What Does Taking the Pledge Mean?

Individuals and organizations are invited to commit to reducing stigma, paving the way for better access to treatment for those who need it.
By pledging to Shine a Light on Stigma

• You choose to use person-centered language when discussing substance abuse disorder.
• You agree to use words that are supportive, non-judgmental, culturally responsive and welcoming.
• You pledge to use peer-to-peer coaching to create an environment where anyone can safely point out stigma-producing words to help eliminate their use.

These shifts will help elevate the person and eliminate stigma.

Organizational Pledge

As a leader, I commit my organization to use person-centered language when referring to people with substance use disorder and those in recovery.

Personal Pledge

I commit to using person-centered language when referring to people with substance use disorder and people who are in recovery.

Share Your Commitment

Use this promotional media toolkit to increase awareness of the power of words to Shine a Light on Stigma and change our language regarding substance use disorders. This kit provides tips, tools and resources for distributing information in your community.

Learn More About Stigma

Shine a Light on Stigma Stages of Change Video Series

Dr. Bobby Redwood, an emergency physician, and Superior Health subject matter expert on addiction medicine, developed this seven-video series for physicians as part of the Shine the Light on Stigma campaign. The videos review the widely taught stages of change model for assessing a patient’s readiness to act on a new healthier behavior while providing tips and sample scripting of judgment-free language to help us avoid stigmatizing opioid use disorder and the patients who suffer from it.

Combatting Stigma

This video focusing on stigma is one in a four-part SUD series within the Superior Health Front Line Forces training program. Each video is approximately four to nine minutes in length, describes addiction as a chronic medical condition, offers strategies for combatting stigma, describes resources for treatment and discusses prevention strategies.

Storytelling Series

View this collection of personal accounts that illustrates the harmful effects of stigma in treating substance use disorder.

Explore Person-Centered Language

• Words Matter: How Language Choice Can Reduce Stigma
  SAMHSA
  This resource looks at the role of language in perpetuating  SUD stigma, with tips for assessing when and how we may be using stigmatizing language, and steps for ensuring that the language we use and messages we deliver are positive, productive, and inclusive.
• Words Matter – Terms to Use and Avoid When Talking About Addiction 
  National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
  Great examples of words that advocate for respect and dignity – CME/CE available for health care professionals.
• Person-Centered Language 
  University of Minnesota Center for Practice Transformation
  Dialog examples written in both a traditional and person-centered perspective highlight the importance of utilizing person-centered language when conceptualizing an individual and describing the individual to colleagues.
• Communication Strategies to Reduce Stigma
  Mountain Area Health Education Center
  Tips and tools to reduce stigma and bias by starting a conversation centered on your patient.

Learn More About Substance Use Disorder

• What is Substance Use Disorder?
  Superior Health Quality Alliance
  This Front Line Forces SUD Series video creates a shared understanding of SUD and the struggles it causes.
  
• Addiction Medicine Toolkit for Providers in Training
  National Institute on Drug Abuse
  Designed as an introduction for health care providers in training, these resources can help prepare them to become certified in the Addiction Medicine (ADM) physician subspecialty.
• Opioid Withdrawal Explained in 10 Minutes
  Andrew Kim, MD, provides an understanding of what someone can expect to go through during opioid withdrawal.
• What Causes Opioid Addiction, and Why Is It So Tough to Combat?
  TED-Ed
  This video explores the science of why opioids are addictive and what can be done to reverse the growing rates of addiction and overdose.
• COMING SOON: Yourself and Others Presentation – (this will be a PowerPoint presentation that others can use that will have notes pages completed so that anyone can use this to educate others)