The words that we use matter more than we think. Stigma has been found to be a barrier to treatment-seeking among individuals with addiction. Research now shows that the commonly used terms of "abuse" & "abuser" increase stigma.

Now is the time to tell our national government agencies with these words in their titles that focus on addiction to undergo a NAME CHANGE (e.g., the National Institute on Drug ABUSE [NIDA] & the National Institute on Alcohol ABUSE and Alcoholism [NIAAA]).

Addiction is a disease, NOT character flaw, which the word abuse or abuser implies. It takes an act of congress to change a government agency name, so support is needed at all levels.

This petition is led by the Recovery Research Institute of Harvard Medical School & Massachusetts General Hospital. #GetTheFacts @recoveryanswers