This document discusses the stigma faced by substance users and how it undermines recovery. It provides quotes from substance users about feeling ashamed to seek help from doctors due to stigma. Stigma restricts access to assistance and discourages efforts toward recovery and employment. Public attitudes spread through media often perpetuate stigma. Training professionals and having them interact with substance users can help reduce stigma, as can focusing on positive stories of change. Throughout the resource, readers are exposed to recovery stories in order to help reduce self-stigma and encourage mutual aid and recovery principles that support positive self-worth.

1. Stigma and stereotypes:
unconditional positive
regard

2. Voices of substance users
“Makes you feel like there’s no point in trying
to get better if people’s attitudes are
entrenched and they don’t give you a chance.”
“I wouldn’t approach the doctor for a good few
years due to feeling ashamed and because it
was the family doctor who knew my family. I
felt quite apprehensive of making the
appointment to discuss drug use.”

3. Undermining recovery (UKDPC, 2010)
Stigma and stereotyping restricts access to help and actively works
against supporting people with their recovery.
“When you’re on methadone or heroin it’s as if you’ve got a
plague, isn’t it?”
“They don’t give you the chance. Work – there’s no point in us
going for work. If you’re on methadone… there’s no point in
going for any work”
The judgements about worth become quite different if we substitute
‘drug user’ with :
– mental illness
– asthmatic
– single father
• Why do you think this is?

4. Public attitudes
Public attitudes to drug
dependency, in
particular, are
perpetuated through the
media including press,
television, and
celebrities.

5. Public attitudes
Prevention strategies –
warning people of the
dangers of drug taking –
can have a negative
effect on public attitudes
towards people who do
have problems with
drugs.

6. Professional roles in
de-stigmatisation (ACMD 2012)
• There is evidence that training for professionals, especially through
contact with service users, reduces stigmatising attitudes.
• Also, working with other agencies, including employers, schools and
the media can increase recovery chances for people with
problematic use.
• Focusing on positive stories of change also reduces self stigma.

7. What else can we do?
• Throughout this learning resource, you will be exposed to many
stories from people in recovery, and their carers. You will learn what
helps them and what hinders them in their recovery journey.
• You will see how enabling mutual aid, support and recovery
principles helps people to feel positive about themselves and their
families. This, in turn, reduces the stigma cycle.
• It is hoped that you will also feel more empowered to challenge
stigma you encounter in helping agencies or individuals, through
developing your knowledge and skills for working with substance
use. You will then be better able to provide more chances of
recovery for those you come into contact with.

8. References
• Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (2012) Recovery from drug and alcohol
dependence: an overview of the evidence. London: ACMD.
• UKDPC (2010) Getting Serious about Stigma: the problem with stigmatising drug
users. Available online at: http://www.ukdpc.org.uk/