"Change the Names: End the Stigma" Petition

REQUEST FOR SIGNATURES – CHANGE THE NAMES: END THE STIGMA

Please see below for the opportunity to support an important initiative to help end stigma towards addiction by removing the term “abuse” from national government agencies (e.g., NIDA, NIAAA, SMHSA). You can help support this cause to change the names and end the stigma by signing this petition: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/change-the-name-end-the-stigma. Follow the link or see below for additional details. Please feel free to share far and wide!

All the best,

The words that we use matter. Stigma has been identified as a barrier to treatment and recovery among individuals with addiction. Research shows that the commonly used term, "abuse", increases stigma.

Now is the time to tell Congress that national government agencies with words like "abuse" must undergo a NAME CHANGE (e.g., National Institute on Drug Abuse [NIDA], National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism [NIAAA], and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA]).

Addiction is a disease. Using words such as "abuse" or "abuser" implies that addiction is a character flaw. It takes an act of congress to change a government agency name, so support is needed at all levels.

This petition was prompted by the recent brief authored by Dr. John Kelly and Valerie Earnshaw, PhD and published by the Society of Behavioral Medicine. The brief, entitled “End the Fatal Paradox: Change the Names of our Federal Institutes on Addiction” (hyperlinked).

This petition is led by Faces & Voices of Recovery and the Recovery Research Institute of Harvard Medical School & Massachusetts General Hospital. Endorsed by: American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry [AAAP], American Academy of Pediatrics [AAP], Association for Multidisciplinary Education and Research in Substance use and Addiction [AMERSA], American Public Health Association [APHA], Drug Policy Alliance, Harm Reduction Coalition, National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers, National Council for Behavioral Health, National Prevention Science Coalition [NPSC], and Shatterproof.

#ChangeTheName @recoveryanswers @facesandvoices

"Change the Name: End the Stigma" petition: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/change-the-name-end-the-stigma.