Language Matters—Words like 'Abuse' and 'Addict' Are Stigmatizing

US Drug Czar Michael Botticelli is trying to change the language surrounding addiction in order to reduce the stigma.

“Junkie” is a historical word. In the early 20th century, people who did heroin were referred to as junkies because they would collect scrap metal, copper wire, and other junk, to pawn or sell to pay for their drugs. Bubbles from David Simon’s The Wire was junkie incarnate, wheel-barrowing garbage all over the city, scrounging for dollars. But over the years the word became an insult, degrading the behavior of drug users. 

The Boston Globe recently surveyed advocates and researchers, uncovering the meaning of the language we use to describe addiction. The consensus is that the current lexicon of addiction needs a dramatic makeover. ​

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