Words are essential for communication as we all know.  Yet, choosing the right words is more than the cliche “politically correct.” Words make a difference in how one hears a message and if the wrong words are chosen will miss the mark on communicating the real issue at hand.  I believe this is an issue in the area of Substance Use Disease (SUD).

Recently I sent a letter to both the Commissioner of the Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) and NYS Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie requesting that both OASAS and the NYS Assembly Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse consider a name change to the respective agency and committee to reflect the terms “Substance and Gambling Use Disorders.”

A recent STAT news article noted this issue that I frequently discuss and is under consideration now at many federal agencies such as the CDC and the FDA. When we choose words such as “substance abuser” and “addict,” they carry a stigma and imply blame on the person who is dealing with what is a medical issue, not a conscious choice. “Addict” in particular takes someone back to the Rockefeller Drug War era and leaves the impression that an individual was involved in criminal activity which is not often the case at least when someone starts down the road to SUD. When we consider the stigma that is felt by many in the treatment and recovery communities, we need to consider the changes that we can make to ease the path to treatment and through recovery. This may seem insignificant to some, but as mentioned above, words do matter.

As NYS Comptroller DiNapoli noted in a recent report, drug overdose fatalities surged during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York State, with opioid-related overdose deaths increasing by 68% to nearly 5,000 individuals from 2019 to 2021. There is still much work to be done to address the opioid epidemic on a larger scale; however, I believe that this change would shift the conversation to a more respectful dialogue and will create a better atmosphere for the broader conversation that we all need to have regarding substance use disease.  By taking a medical approach vs a criminal justice view I do believe we will achieve greater outcomes and witness more appropriate and effective uses of public funding.