Read on Twitter
You can view my SUAB talk here on alcohol stigma at 36mins in (including a minor coughing fit), as well as @LiviuAlexand on the importance of the wider socio-political factors at play in addiction stigma. https://twitter.com/SUABManMet/status/1339159572997660673
Thread: I argue that alcohol stigma is so pervasive partly because many drinkers are motivated to set the threshold for alcohol problems as 'alcoholism' to protect heavy drinking as a normalised stigma-free status. 1/10
This practice of 'othering' problem drinkers is seen consistently amongst a range of risky/heavy drinking groups. E.g 'binge' drinkers might point to those who 'drink every day', or regular drinkers might point to 'binge drinkers' or 'alcoholics' who 'lose control' 2/10
Alcohol dependence problems though are especially stigmatised owing to the pervasive negative alcoholic stereotypes. This is enacted through a process of labelling and separating 'alcoholics' who are marked as 'different'. 3/10
Of course, labelling can serve important functions, e.g. as how we 'make sense' of the many complex 'things' we encounter in the everyday. With pros and cons. 4/10
Self-labelling can also be important. Notably, it is central to Alcoholics Anonymous as part of the process of explicitly recognising the problem and shifting to a recovery identity. 5/10
But, outside of recovery contexts, alternative framing of alcohol use and problems are important if we are to shift public stigma. 6/10
Framings that are humanising, reduce (rather than increase) perceived difference and increase recovery beliefs are more likely to reduce stigma, and likely explain why disease/biogenetic beliefs amongst the public do not appear to reduce stigma. 7/10
Evidence for addiction based stigma reduction is lacking, but existing campaigns seem to be based on false assumptions that fail to account for these factors. 8/10
A growing number of stigma researchers/bodies are calling 'person first language'. However, some have argued we should aim to de-stigmatise 'alcoholism' i.e. 'revaluing'. I don't think this can work. 9/10
Changing the language will not end stigma on its own. However, it is important as part of a multi-level strategy in which we challenge ideas of 'us' and 'them' about people with problems. 10/10
