Jul 20, 2019
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/k1bHDtP93Zw
Our friends and neighbors sadly dependent on heroin call themselves “addicts,” but they would prefer we call them “people who use drugs.” This finding comes from a first-of-its-kind study by psychiatrists and health law experts at UMass and Boston University.
The study polled participants embarking on an inpatient heroin withdrawal program. While 70% of the patients referred to themselves as “addicts,” fewer than 15% preferred terms such as “users” or “junkies.” The most hated designations were “heroin misuser” or “heroin-dependent.”
The preferred “people who use drugs” begins with the word “people” emphasizing that those on heroin or any other substance are first and foremost people. As they work to break their habits, they deserve our love, respect, and support.
Ekaterina Pivovarova, Michael D. Stein. In their own words: language preferences of individuals who use heroin. Addiction, 2019; DOI: 10.1111/add.14699
#Heroin #addict #druguser