THREAD. I just spent 1.5 hours on the phone to a journalist, talking about what needs to happen in our whole culture to help address the problem of our drugs deaths. I used the phrase “fierce curiosity” about 300 times. The problem isn’t drugs. The problem is blaming & shaming.

2. We need to change how we see things. We need examples of people & organisations who show us how to do that. What examples did I give her?

3. I talked about @PitteucharE & @JKnussen who changed their language from “challenging behaviour” to “distressed behaviour”. The language change takes away the blame and requires adults to get curious.

4. I talked about Shuggie Bain (which she was reading!) & author @Doug_D_Stuart ability to tell a COMPASSIONATE story of how a parent harms her children w/out blaming the parent. He shows us the mum’s pain. He makes us curious about everyone’s pain.

5. I talked about @katesilverton new book “there no such thing as naughty”. It is for parents. She makes us curious about why it is we are so quick to punish children for behaviour, as opposed to find out what difficult feelings they need help with.

6. I talked abt this month’s guests @Prev_Justice @lokiscottishrap @Annemarieward for @ACEAwareNation ACEs Conversation on drug deaths as voices of experience who can help us get CURIOUS abt what t systm does not understnd. Until we draw on their wisdom, we will continue to harm.

7. I talked abt health visitors, midwives, early years staff, teachers, newspaper headline writers, shop owners & everyone as part of the solution. WHEN WE GET CURIOUS about the harm we unwittingly do, we will quit missing the opportunities we have to solve societal challenges.

8. I talked about @KeeganSmith_Law & @TraumaAwareLaw . Nobody told him or them to start trying to change the legal system. They just decided they wanted a different system, a different world. They realised they mattered. They got curious about how to help. They just DID IT.

9. Shame is a key problem. Shame keeps us from looking, from getting curious. We get focused on fears of our own inadequacies & therefore we stay stuck. Our children suffer. People around us suffer. Agnes’ suffering in Shuggie Bain rippled to her children. #GetRidOfShame

10. I talked abt my chapter in t new book by @simonbarrow & @GerryHassan by @LuathPress . Scotland After The Virus. In that book, I talked abt why we will need “fierce curiosity” as we figure out who we want to be aftr COVID. There are so many opportunities. Let’s not miss them.

11/end. The journalist promises me she will keep my phrase “fierce curiosity” in her piece. She laughed: “I don’t think I could avoid it. You used it so many times.” I am #grateful to her. I look forwrd to seeing t piece in @heraldscotland . I hope t headline writer gets it too.

12/ReallyEnd. In short:
there’s no such thing as a junkie.

That’s a blaming, shaming idea we invented to save ourselves from getting curious about pain. We need rid of the word & the idea. CHANGE STARTS WITH LANGUAGE. Anyone who chooses to stop using that word is a LEADER.