Take action
What can I do?
Reducing stigma is not a campaign. It is a set of small, repeatable choices made by clinicians, families and communities — and by people who use substances about how they are willing to be treated.
Three audiences
Start here
For healthcare professionals
- Listen without judgement.
- Use respectful language.
- Challenge assumptions — your own included.
- Treat the person, not just the substance use.
- Offer appropriate, evidence-based support.
For friends & family
- Avoid labels.
- Don't reduce someone to their substance use.
- Encourage professional support.
- Set healthy boundaries — yours matter too.
- Remember that dependency is more complex than simply "choosing to stop".
For people who use substances
- You deserve healthcare.
- You deserve respect.
- Asking for help is not weakness.
- Your substance use does not define your identity.
References & further reading
Stigma research
Link, B.G. & Phelan, J.C. (2001). Conceptualizing Stigma. Annual Review of Sociology, 27, 363–385.
The labelling, stereotyping, separation, status loss and discrimination model of stigma used on this page.
van Boekel, L.C. et al. (2013). Stigma among health professionals towards patients with substance use disorders and its consequences for healthcare delivery: systematic review. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 131(1–2), 23–35.
Systematic review of health professional attitudes and their effect on care.
Kelly, J.F. & Westerhoff, C.M. (2010). Does it matter how we refer to individuals with substance-related conditions? International Journal of Drug Policy, 21(3), 202–207.
Experimental evidence that the term used ("substance abuser" vs "person with a substance use disorder") changes judgements, including among clinicians.
Corrigan, P.W. et al. Work on self-stigma, public stigma and structural stigma in mental health and substance use.
Widely used framework distinguishing self, public and structural stigma and their different remedies.
Room, R. (2005). Stigma, social inequality and alcohol and drug use. Drug and Alcohol Review, 24(2), 143–155.
Discussion of why substance use attracts stigma differently from other health conditions.
UK guidance and policy
Drug misuse and dependence: UK guidelines on clinical management (the "Orange Book")
Department of Health and Social Care and devolved administrations, 2017. Treatment and prescribing practice for drug dependence in the UK.
Open source ↗NICE guidance on alcohol-use disorders and drug misuse
Includes CG115 (alcohol dependence and harmful drinking), CG100 (alcohol-related physical complications) and CG51 (psychosocial interventions for drug misuse).
Open source ↗Office for Health Improvement and Disparities — alcohol, drugs and tobacco collections
UK Government guidance, commissioning support and data on treatment and recovery in England.
Open source ↗Independent review of drugs (Dame Carol Black)
GOV.UK, 2020–2021. Examines treatment capacity, funding and system barriers in England.
Open source ↗Rights, respect and recovery: alcohol and drug treatment strategy
Scottish Government, 2018. Sets out a rights-based, stigma-aware approach to alcohol and drug support.
Open source ↗Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) standards
Scottish Government / Public Health Scotland. Standards on same-day access, choice, harm reduction and retention in treatment.
Open source ↗Public Health Scotland — substance use and stigma resources
Population health information and work on reducing stigma in services.
Open source ↗NHS inform and NHS.uk
Public-facing health information and service finders for drug and alcohol support.
Open source ↗World Health Organization — alcohol, drugs and addictive behaviours
International guidance, including WHO/UNODC International Standards for the Treatment of Drug Use Disorders (2020).
Open source ↗
This website provides educational information and is not a substitute for individual medical assessment, diagnosis or treatment. Information should be interpreted alongside current clinical guidance and evidence.