- Table of Contents
BackgroundPerson-First Language
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Person-first language helps to shift the focus back to the person’s humanity, not their stigmatized identity or illness. Changing your language is a way of being more inclusive.10
As a recovery ally, you can fight stigma by:
- Avoiding words like “abuse,” “alcoholic,” or “addict”
- Elevating and celebrating the many pathways to recovery
- Using person-first language (e.g. person with a substance use disorder, person in recovery)
- Sharing the many diverse stories of recovery
- Highlighting the recovery, not the addiction18
Person-first language is especially important to keep in mind if you are writing a news article, a paper for a class, or anything else that would be published. It is also important to recognize that in various settings, certain terminology may still be used. Recognize the context of where you are, the language that others are using, and understand that person-first language will almost always be preferable. The chart below can help you determine appropriate language for various settings.
Language matters but can change depending on the setting we are in. Choosing when and where to use certain language and labels can help reduce stigma and discrimination towards substance use and recovery.
Image based on Ashford, R.D. Brown, A.M, & Curtis, B. (2018) Substance use recovery and linguistics: The impact of word choice on explicit and implicit bias. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 189,131-138.
