A few small words can make a life-changing difference

If you have ever referred to a person who has struggled with drug or alcohol problems as a “jakey” or an “alky” or a “junkie” you aren’t the only one. But have you ever stopped to think about the impact your words have?

The reality is that people who feel judged for what is, ultimately, a health condition are less likely to ask for help and support. They need to be encouraged, not belittled and made to feel bad. Think about how you would speak to people with cancer or any other health condition.

Now a new campaign has been launched to change how people view and talk about the vulnerable in our society.

Michaela Jones, 54, used alcohol as a way to cope with early-life trauma for years – to the point she almost lost everything.

She’s now been abstinent for 13 years and works as a national policy officer at the Scottish Recovery Consortium helping others.

Michaela said: “Addiction is about disconnection. You disconnect from everything including yourself. You’re in such pain and you can’t get out of it.

“Stigma, especially in workplaces, leads to silence. We might be worried about someone in work but we’re too frightened to say anything, so these people end up in decline. And that is where stigma is dangerous, because we are ignoring something we know is happening.”

But how can you help? By challenging the people you hear making negative comments about people with substance abuse problems and thinking about using less judgmental language, you can make a difference.

Michaela explained: “If you can shift the needle even slightly in terms of people’s perceptions of addiction, it could really change things.

“Show a bit of compassion, don’t walk away, speak to that person you’re concerned about. We’ve got to humanise this. It’s about people who are suffering every day.

“To break stigma, you’ve got to stop seeing people as a homogenous group and see them as individuals with their own story

“People tend to be judged as ‘groups’ but when you speak to someone on a oneto-one basis that stigma and judgment lessens.

“To break stigma, you’ve got to stop seeing people as a homogenous group and see them as individuals with their own story.

“And taking time to understand that story can change lives.”

Find out more at nhsinform.scot/stigma