Addiction Basics
A chronic condition that affects the brain and behavior and involves compulsive substance use despite harmful consequences.
What is addiction?
Negative attitudes, stereotypes, or discrimination toward people with addiction.
What is stigma?
The process of improving health and wellness while working toward a substance-free life.
What is recovery?
Talking to a counselor to address thoughts, behaviors, and triggers.
What is therapy?
Judgement from others
Public stigma
The brain chemical heavily involved in reward and pleasure that is affected by many drugs.
What is dopamine?
What is a common misconception about addiction?
The harmful belief that people with addiction simply need more willpower.
Programs like NA or AA provide this important recovery element.
What is peer support?
People, places, or emotions that increase the urge to use substances.
What are triggers?
Barriers built into systems
structural stigma
This occurs when a person needs more of a substance to feel the same effect.
What is tolerance?
Stigma can prevent people from seeking this important form of help.
What is treatment?
A return to substance use after a period of sobriety.
What is a relapse?
a powerful way people in recovery help others understand addiction
Share their personal experience, strength, and hope
"people with addiction are weak"
public stigma
Physical or psychological symptoms that occur when someone stops using a substance.
What are withdrawal symptoms?
When a person begins to believe negative stereotypes about themselves because of addiction.
What is self-stigma?
Sometimes people expect judgement before it even happens. This is called ____________ ____________
Anticipatory shame
Family, friends, and recovery peers who help encourage sobriety.
What is a support system?
daily double
stigma originally meant a mark of ____________
disgrace
True or false- addiction is a long-term illness rather than a moral failure.
True- addiction is a disease
Using respectful terms like “person with substance use disorder” instead of labels like “addict.”
What is person-first language?
being __________ can prevent dangerous drug interactions, reduce relapse risk, and improve treatment planning
honest
A coping skill that involves focusing on the present moment and emotions without judgment.
What is mindfulness?
"I'm a failure, I don't deserve recovery"
self stigma