June 26, 2017  | 

UNDARK | The Associated Press Learns to Talk About Addiction

By Maia Szalavitz | June 06, 2017 featuring Recovery Research Institute Director Dr. John F. Kelly

FOR YEARS, people with addiction have wondered when the media would recognize our condition as a medical problem, not a moral one — when they would stop reducing us to mere “addicts” and speak of us in the more respectful and accurate “person first” language that has become common for people with other diseases and disorders.

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“Addict” should no longer be used as a noun. “Instead,” the stylebook says, “choose phrasing like ‘he was addicted.’”  In short, separate the person from the disease.

Last week, The Associated Press took an important step in that direction. The new edition of its widely used AP Stylebook declares that “addict” should no longer be used as a noun. “Instead,” it says, “choose phrasing like he was addictedpeople with heroin addiction or he used drugs.” In short, separate the person from the disease.

Read full article on UNDARK.org