This is the third and final post in my series on how we talk about addiction. So far we have discussed Essentialism and Pity, and today we conclude with Respectability. “Respectability politics” is a theory of putative worthiness from Black political struggles. The idea is that by dressing, speaking or
This is post 2 of 3 in a series on how we talk about addiction. Last week’s post discussed the judgments and generalizations we are all familiar with. Today we turn to pity. Pity toward people with addictions may seem like an improvement over condemnation, but when translated into
This post is first in a series on how we talk about addiction. Stigma and stereotypes are never helpful. While perhaps this should go without saying, a strong contingent in the public mistakenly believes that stigma (shaming, shunning, exclusion, judgment) discourages substance use. In fact, transnational comparative research shows that
Welcome! I’m Rosalie, or Rosey, and I’m a therapist in the specialty usually called “substance use disorders.” “Addiction” is a subjective experience, not a clinical label, and I find it more human than the diagnostic language my clients never use. I worked in treatment and recovery services for