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You Are Not Your Addiction: Why Labels Are Unuseful and Outdated
“Addict” is a label that people use to define their behavior. While this can be helpful for traditional treatment providers and individuals who feel the need to label addictive behavior, addiction is often misunderstood and mislabeled.
This can lead to unnecessary shame, guilt, and stigma. In this article, we’ll look at why labels are outdated, unhelpful, and inaccurate when applied to individuals with substance abuse problems.
The word “addict” is overused.
The word “addict” is overused. If you think about it, most people we call “addicts” aren’t addicted at all. They are people who once drank too much or had an addiction to drugs. Let me remind you, you are not your behavior. We need to look at the underlying conditions rather than slapping a label on someone and sending them on their way.
The word “addict” has become synonymous with being a substance abuser—a person who abuses drugs or alcohol to escape reality and numb their emotions. It sounds pretty bad as a label for yourself.
But here’s the thing: There are no such things as “real” addicts or non-real addicts, only people battling addiction issues. That anyone can be free from labels and truly heal from their substance abuse-related issues without shame…
