{"id":229023,"date":"2017-08-28T16:03:12","date_gmt":"2017-08-28T20:03:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/?p=229023"},"modified":"2019-07-26T16:43:57","modified_gmt":"2019-07-26T20:43:57","slug":"revising-the-language-of-addiction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2017\/08\/revising-the-language-of-addiction\/","title":{"rendered":"Revising the language of addiction"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t
\"\"

Harvard Medical School addiction expert John Kelly wants to couch the language of addiction. \u201cThis goes beyond political correctness … exposure to these specific terms induces [an] implicit cognitive bias."<\/p>

Rose Lincoln\/Harvard Staff Photographer<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\t

\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tScience & Tech\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t

\n\t\tRevising the language of addiction\t<\/h1>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\tColleen Walsh\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t

\n\t\t\tHarvard Staff Writer\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/address>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t

\n\t\t\tExperts say action against stigma starts with choosing the right words\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\n<\/header>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\t\t

When confronting the power of addiction, the power of language is important to keep in mind, specialists say.<\/p>\n

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders<\/a>, the American Psychiatric Association<\/a>\u2019s diagnostic handbook, describes someone struggling with addiction as having \u201copioid use disorder.\u201d But many of us are more familiar with \u201cdrug abuser,\u201d as well as the term\u2019s negative connotations.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so hard for people to give up the \u2018abuse\u2019 word,\u201d said Sarah Wakeman<\/a>, medical director of the Substance Use Disorders Initiative and the Addiction Consult Team at Harvard-affiliated\u00a0Massachusetts General Hospital<\/a> (MGH), during an interview at her office.<\/p>\n

Wakeman has written frequently on the topic, urging people to adopt medically accurate, \u201cperson-first\u201d language.<\/p>\n

The terms \u201cabuse\u201d and \u201cabuser,\u201d she wrote in an article published last year by the American Society of Addiction Medicine<\/a>, \u201cimply a willful misconduct and have been shown to increase stigma and reduce the quality of care.\u201d Equally harmful, she added, is the language often applied to the most effective form of treatment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe stigma surrounding the use of pharmacotherapy, in particular opioid agonist therapy, is arguably more potent and harmful than the general stigma about addiction,\u201d Wakeman wrote. Drugs such as buprenorphine<\/a>, which can curb cravings and withdrawal symptoms, are too often called a \u201creplacement addiction.\u201d To counter that misconception, the use of buprenorphine, which is marketed under the brand name Suboxone, should simply be called \u201ctreatment\u201d rather than \u201cmedication-assisted treatment,\u201d Wakeman said.<\/p>\n

For Wakeman and other specialists, the distinction between \u201cdependency\u201d and \u201caddiction,\u201d two terms that are often interchanged, needs to be made clear. Many people who use an opioid to treat chronic pain become dependent on the drug, meaning if they stop taking it they will go through withdrawal, said Wakeman. <\/strong>By contrast, addiction is a medical disorder in which \u201cyou are compulsively using more and more of a drug that can cause bad things to happen in your life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Descriptions such as \u201cclean\u201d and \u201cdirty\u201d also have to go, Wakeman said.<\/p>\n

\u201cA doctor would never tell a patient suffering from diabetes that their blood was dirty with glucose,\u201d said Wakeman, demonstrating her simple rule for language choices.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should ask, \u2018Is this a term that we would use for another medical condition?\u2019 If the answer is \u2018no,\u2019 we shouldn\u2019t use it.\u201d<\/p>\n\r\n\t\n\n\t

\"\"
HMS Professor John Kelly helped to create the <a href="https:\/\/www.recoveryanswers.org\/addiction-ary\/">Addiction-ary<\/a>, a glossary of addiction-related terms to help medical professionals and the general public modify their language about addiction. Graphic by Rebecca Coleman\/Harvard Staff\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\n\t\r\n\n

For many, the first step toward recovery means admitting a problem. In abstinence programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous<\/a>\u00a0participants often say their name followed by the statement \u201cand I\u2019m an alcoholic.\u201d While Wakeman urges people to say whatever makes them feel comfortable, from health care providers she expects \u201cmedically accurate terms.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe power of language is so strong, and the stigma is so deeply felt,\u201d said Wakeman, who bristles at the terms \u201cjunkie\u201d and \u201caddict.\u201d<\/p>\n

That power was clear in findings by Harvard Medical School\u2019s John Kelly<\/a>, who in 2010 conducted a pair of studies to test his theory that people exposed to certain terms associated with addiction display unconscious biases.<\/p>\n

Kelly, the Elizabeth R. Spallin Associate Professor of Psychiatry in Addiction Medicine, crafted two descriptions of someone struggling with addiction. In one paragraph he referred to the person as a \u201csubstance abuser,\u201d which he believed might suggest the notion of willful misconduct and lead to more punitive approaches. In the other paragraph he wrote \u201csubstance use disorder,\u201d a term he thought might convey the idea of a medical malfunction and lead to less punitive, more treatment-oriented attitudes.<\/p>\n

Kelly then randomly assigned the descriptions to 600 doctoral-level clinicians and asked them to answer a series of questions including whether the person should be punished or treated, whether he should be blamed for his condition, and whether he was a threat. Later Kelly repeated the test with the general population.<\/p>\n

In both groups the research found that \u201cindividuals who were exposed to the \u2018substance abuser\u2019 term had much more punitive attitudes toward the subject than if he was described as having a substance use disorder,\u201d Kelly said.<\/p>\n

After the Medical School published the findings in its Mental Health Letter, word spread. Kelly traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with Michael Botticelli<\/a>, then-director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, and he presented the research at the first national drug policy reform summit in 2013. Soon the White House adopted his recommended terminology.<\/p>\n

In 2015, Kelly spoke before the International Society of Addiction Journal Editors at a conference in Budapest. In response, the group formulated a consensus statement<\/a> that recommends against using stigmatizing terminology, most notably \u201cabuse\u201d and \u201cabuser,\u201d in published addiction science.<\/p>\n

Another move influenced by his research, Kelly said, was the decision<\/a> by the Associated Press to include a new entry on addiction and to revise drug-related entries in the latest edition of its stylebook.<\/p>\n

The work continues. As the founder and director of MGH\u2019s Recovery Research Institute<\/a>, Kelly helped created a web tool called the Addiction-ary<\/a>, a glossary of addiction-related terms including several words that come with a bold \u201cstigma alert\u201d warning. The national nonprofit Facing Addiction has adopted the tool, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we want addiction destigmatized, we need a language that\u2019s unified and really accurately portrays the true nature of what we\u2019ve learned about these conditions over the last 25 years,\u201d said Kelly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis goes beyond political correctness,\u201d he added. \u201cIt\u2019s not just a matter of being nice. What we now know is that actual exposure to these specific terms induces this implicit cognitive bias. If you really want to solve the problem, you want to remove any barriers and obstacles.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wakeman and Kelly are guest speakers in the free online course\u00a0OpioidX: The Opioid Crisis in America<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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words","centeredImage":true,"className":"is-style-full-width-text-below","mediaHeight":403,"mediaWidth":605,"backgroundFixed":false,"backgroundTone":"light","coloredBackground":false,"displayOverlay":true,"fadeInText":false,"isAmbient":false,"mediaLength":"","mediaPosition":"","posterText":"","titleAbove":false,"useUncroppedImage":false,"lock":[],"metadata":[]},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img alt=\"\" height=\"403\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/081717_kelly_0953-605bw2.jpg\" width=\"605\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><p class=\"wp-element-caption--caption\">Harvard Medical School addiction expert John Kelly wants to couch the language of addiction. \u201cThis goes beyond political correctness ... exposure to these specific terms induces [an] implicit cognitive bias."<\/p><p class=\"wp-element-caption--credit\">Rose Lincoln\/Harvard Staff Photographer<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","innerContent":["<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img alt=\"\" height=\"403\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/081717_kelly_0953-605bw2.jpg\" width=\"605\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><p class=\"wp-element-caption--caption\">Harvard Medical School addiction expert John Kelly wants to couch the language of addiction. \u201cThis goes beyond political correctness ... exposure to these specific terms induces [an] implicit cognitive bias."<\/p><p class=\"wp-element-caption--credit\">Rose Lincoln\/Harvard Staff Photographer<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n"],"rendered":"<header\n\tclass=\"wp-block-harvard-gazette-article-header alignfull article-header is-style-full-width-text-below centered-image\"\n\tstyle=\" \"\n>\n\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img alt=\"\" height=\"403\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/081717_kelly_0953-605bw2.jpg\" width=\"605\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><p class=\"wp-element-caption--caption\">Harvard Medical School addiction expert John Kelly wants to couch the language of addiction. \u201cThis goes beyond political correctness ... exposure to these specific terms induces [an] implicit cognitive bias."<\/p><p class=\"wp-element-caption--credit\">Rose Lincoln\/Harvard Staff Photographer<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\t<div class=\"article-header__content\">\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"article-header__category\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/science-technology\/\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\tScience & Tech\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t<h1 class=\"article-header__title wp-block-heading \">\n\t\tRevising the language of addiction\t<\/h1>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<div class=\"article-header__meta\">\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-post-author\">\n\t\t\t<address class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"author wp-block-post-author__name\">\n\t\tColleen Walsh\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-post-author__byline\">\n\t\t\tHarvard Staff Writer\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/address>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<time class=\"article-header__date\" datetime=\"2017-08-28\">\n\t\t\tAugust 28, 2017\t\t<\/time>\n\n\t\t<span class=\"article-header__reading-time\">\n\t\t\t6 min read\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"article-header__subheading wp-block-heading\">\n\t\t\tExperts say action against stigma starts with choosing the right words\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\n<\/header>\n"},"2":{"blockName":"core\/group","attrs":{"templateLock":false,"metadata":{"name":"Article content"},"align":"wide","layout":{"type":"constrained","justifyContent":"center"},"tagName":"div","lock":[],"className":"","style":[],"backgroundColor":"","textColor":"","gradient":"","fontSize":"","fontFamily":"","borderColor":"","ariaLabel":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[{"blockName":"core\/freeform","attrs":{"content":"","lock":[],"metadata":[]},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\t\t<p>When confronting the power of addiction, the power of language is important to keep in mind, specialists say.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychiatry.org\/psychiatrists\/practice\/dsm\">The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychiatry.org\/\">American Psychiatric Association<\/a>\u2019s diagnostic handbook, describes someone struggling with addiction as having \u201copioid use disorder.\u201d But many of us are more familiar with \u201cdrug abuser,\u201d as well as the term\u2019s negative connotations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s so hard for people to give up the \u2018abuse\u2019 word,\u201d said <a href=\"http:\/\/www.massgeneral.org\/doctors\/doctor.aspx?id=19383\">Sarah Wakeman<\/a>, medical director of the Substance Use Disorders Initiative and the Addiction Consult Team at Harvard-affiliated\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.massgeneral.org\/\">Massachusetts General Hospital<\/a> (MGH), during an interview at her office.<\/p>\n<p>Wakeman has written frequently on the topic, urging people to adopt medically accurate, \u201cperson-first\u201d language.<\/p>\n<p>The terms \u201cabuse\u201d and \u201cabuser,\u201d she wrote in an article published last year by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.asam.org\/\">American Society of Addiction Medicine<\/a>, \u201cimply a willful misconduct and have been shown to increase stigma and reduce the quality of care.\u201d Equally harmful, she added, is the language often applied to the most effective form of treatment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe stigma surrounding the use of pharmacotherapy, in particular opioid agonist therapy, is arguably more potent and harmful than the general stigma about addiction,\u201d Wakeman wrote. Drugs such as <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2015\/06\/19\/health\/suboxone\/index.html\">buprenorphine<\/a>, which can curb cravings and withdrawal symptoms, are too often called a \u201creplacement addiction.\u201d To counter that misconception, the use of buprenorphine, which is marketed under the brand name Suboxone, should simply be called \u201ctreatment\u201d rather than \u201cmedication-assisted treatment,\u201d Wakeman said.<\/p>\n<p>For Wakeman and other specialists, the distinction between \u201cdependency\u201d and \u201caddiction,\u201d two terms that are often interchanged, needs to be made clear. Many people who use an opioid to treat chronic pain become dependent on the drug, meaning if they stop taking it they will go through withdrawal, said Wakeman<strong>. <\/strong>By contrast, addiction is a medical disorder in which \u201cyou are compulsively using more and more of a drug that can cause bad things to happen in your life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Descriptions such as \u201cclean\u201d and \u201cdirty\u201d also have to go, Wakeman said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA doctor would never tell a patient suffering from diabetes that their blood was dirty with glucose,\u201d said Wakeman, demonstrating her simple rule for language choices.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe should ask, \u2018Is this a term that we would use for another medical condition?\u2019 If the answer is \u2018no,\u2019 we shouldn\u2019t use it.\u201d<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n\t\t<p>When confronting the power of addiction, the power of language is important to keep in mind, specialists say.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychiatry.org\/psychiatrists\/practice\/dsm\">The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychiatry.org\/\">American Psychiatric Association<\/a>\u2019s diagnostic handbook, describes someone struggling with addiction as having \u201copioid use disorder.\u201d But many of us are more familiar with \u201cdrug abuser,\u201d as well as the term\u2019s negative connotations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s so hard for people to give up the \u2018abuse\u2019 word,\u201d said <a href=\"http:\/\/www.massgeneral.org\/doctors\/doctor.aspx?id=19383\">Sarah Wakeman<\/a>, medical director of the Substance Use Disorders Initiative and the Addiction Consult Team at Harvard-affiliated\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.massgeneral.org\/\">Massachusetts General Hospital<\/a> (MGH), during an interview at her office.<\/p>\n<p>Wakeman has written frequently on the topic, urging people to adopt medically accurate, \u201cperson-first\u201d language.<\/p>\n<p>The terms \u201cabuse\u201d and \u201cabuser,\u201d she wrote in an article published last year by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.asam.org\/\">American Society of Addiction Medicine<\/a>, \u201cimply a willful misconduct and have been shown to increase stigma and reduce the quality of care.\u201d Equally harmful, she added, is the language often applied to the most effective form of treatment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe stigma surrounding the use of pharmacotherapy, in particular opioid agonist therapy, is arguably more potent and harmful than the general stigma about addiction,\u201d Wakeman wrote. Drugs such as <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2015\/06\/19\/health\/suboxone\/index.html\">buprenorphine<\/a>, which can curb cravings and withdrawal symptoms, are too often called a \u201creplacement addiction.\u201d To counter that misconception, the use of buprenorphine, which is marketed under the brand name Suboxone, should simply be called \u201ctreatment\u201d rather than \u201cmedication-assisted treatment,\u201d Wakeman said.<\/p>\n<p>For Wakeman and other specialists, the distinction between \u201cdependency\u201d and \u201caddiction,\u201d two terms that are often interchanged, needs to be made clear. Many people who use an opioid to treat chronic pain become dependent on the drug, meaning if they stop taking it they will go through withdrawal, said Wakeman<strong>. <\/strong>By contrast, addiction is a medical disorder in which \u201cyou are compulsively using more and more of a drug that can cause bad things to happen in your life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Descriptions such as \u201cclean\u201d and \u201cdirty\u201d also have to go, Wakeman said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA doctor would never tell a patient suffering from diabetes that their blood was dirty with glucose,\u201d said Wakeman, demonstrating her simple rule for language choices.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe should ask, \u2018Is this a term that we would use for another medical condition?\u2019 If the answer is \u2018no,\u2019 we shouldn\u2019t use it.\u201d<\/p>\n"],"rendered":"\n\t\t<p>When confronting the power of addiction, the power of language is important to keep in mind, specialists say.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychiatry.org\/psychiatrists\/practice\/dsm\">The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychiatry.org\/\">American Psychiatric Association<\/a>\u2019s diagnostic handbook, describes someone struggling with addiction as having \u201copioid use disorder.\u201d But many of us are more familiar with \u201cdrug abuser,\u201d as well as the term\u2019s negative connotations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s so hard for people to give up the \u2018abuse\u2019 word,\u201d said <a href=\"http:\/\/www.massgeneral.org\/doctors\/doctor.aspx?id=19383\">Sarah Wakeman<\/a>, medical director of the Substance Use Disorders Initiative and the Addiction Consult Team at Harvard-affiliated\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.massgeneral.org\/\">Massachusetts General Hospital<\/a> (MGH), during an interview at her office.<\/p>\n<p>Wakeman has written frequently on the topic, urging people to adopt medically accurate, \u201cperson-first\u201d language.<\/p>\n<p>The terms \u201cabuse\u201d and \u201cabuser,\u201d she wrote in an article published last year by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.asam.org\/\">American Society of Addiction Medicine<\/a>, \u201cimply a willful misconduct and have been shown to increase stigma and reduce the quality of care.\u201d Equally harmful, she added, is the language often applied to the most effective form of treatment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe stigma surrounding the use of pharmacotherapy, in particular opioid agonist therapy, is arguably more potent and harmful than the general stigma about addiction,\u201d Wakeman wrote. Drugs such as <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2015\/06\/19\/health\/suboxone\/index.html\">buprenorphine<\/a>, which can curb cravings and withdrawal symptoms, are too often called a \u201creplacement addiction.\u201d To counter that misconception, the use of buprenorphine, which is marketed under the brand name Suboxone, should simply be called \u201ctreatment\u201d rather than \u201cmedication-assisted treatment,\u201d Wakeman said.<\/p>\n<p>For Wakeman and other specialists, the distinction between \u201cdependency\u201d and \u201caddiction,\u201d two terms that are often interchanged, needs to be made clear. Many people who use an opioid to treat chronic pain become dependent on the drug, meaning if they stop taking it they will go through withdrawal, said Wakeman<strong>. <\/strong>By contrast, addiction is a medical disorder in which \u201cyou are compulsively using more and more of a drug that can cause bad things to happen in your life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Descriptions such as \u201cclean\u201d and \u201cdirty\u201d also have to go, Wakeman said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA doctor would never tell a patient suffering from diabetes that their blood was dirty with glucose,\u201d said Wakeman, demonstrating her simple rule for language choices.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe should ask, \u2018Is this a term that we would use for another medical condition?\u2019 If the answer is \u2018no,\u2019 we shouldn\u2019t use it.\u201d<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/image","attrs":{"sizeSlug":"full","align":"none","id":229475,"caption":"HMS Professor John Kelly helped to create the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.recoveryanswers.org\/addiction-ary\/\">Addiction-ary<\/a>, a glossary of addiction-related terms to help medical professionals and the general public modify their language about addiction. Graphic by Rebecca Coleman\/Harvard Staff","blob":"","url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/addictionlanguage.jpg","alt":"","lightbox":[],"title":"","href":"","rel":"","linkClass":"","width":"","height":"","aspectRatio":"","scale":"","linkDestination":"","linkTarget":"","lock":[],"metadata":[],"className":"","style":[],"borderColor":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone size-full is-resized\"><img src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/addictionlanguage.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-229475\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">HMS Professor John Kelly helped to create the <a href="https:\/\/www.recoveryanswers.org\/addiction-ary\/">Addiction-ary<\/a>, a glossary of addiction-related terms to help medical professionals and the general public modify their language about addiction. Graphic by Rebecca Coleman\/Harvard Staff\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t","innerContent":["\n\n\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone size-full is-resized\"><img src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/addictionlanguage.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-229475\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">HMS Professor John Kelly helped to create the <a href="https:\/\/www.recoveryanswers.org\/addiction-ary\/">Addiction-ary<\/a>, a glossary of addiction-related terms to help medical professionals and the general public modify their language about addiction. Graphic by Rebecca Coleman\/Harvard Staff\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t"],"rendered":"\n\n\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone size-full is-resized\"><img src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/addictionlanguage.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-229475\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">HMS Professor John Kelly helped to create the <a href="https:\/\/www.recoveryanswers.org\/addiction-ary\/">Addiction-ary<\/a>, a glossary of addiction-related terms to help medical professionals and the general public modify their language about addiction. Graphic by Rebecca Coleman\/Harvard Staff\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t"},{"blockName":"core\/freeform","attrs":{"content":"","lock":[],"metadata":[]},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n<p>For many, the first step toward recovery means admitting a problem. In abstinence programs such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aa.org\/\">Alcoholics Anonymous<\/a>\u00a0participants often say their name followed by the statement \u201cand I\u2019m an alcoholic.\u201d While Wakeman urges people to say whatever makes them feel comfortable, from health care providers she expects \u201cmedically accurate terms.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe power of language is so strong, and the stigma is so deeply felt,\u201d said Wakeman, who bristles at the terms \u201cjunkie\u201d and \u201caddict.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That power was clear in findings by Harvard Medical School\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.harvard.edu\/johnfkelly\/home\">John Kelly<\/a>, who in 2010 conducted a pair of studies to test his theory that people exposed to certain terms associated with addiction display unconscious biases.<\/p>\n<p>Kelly, the Elizabeth R. Spallin Associate Professor of Psychiatry in Addiction Medicine, crafted two descriptions of someone struggling with addiction. In one paragraph he referred to the person as a \u201csubstance abuser,\u201d which he believed might suggest the notion of willful misconduct and lead to more punitive approaches. In the other paragraph he wrote \u201csubstance use disorder,\u201d a term he thought might convey the idea of a medical malfunction and lead to less punitive, more treatment-oriented attitudes.<\/p>\n<p>Kelly then randomly assigned the descriptions to 600 doctoral-level clinicians and asked them to answer a series of questions including whether the person should be punished or treated, whether he should be blamed for his condition, and whether he was a threat. Later Kelly repeated the test with the general population.<\/p>\n<p>In both groups the research found that \u201cindividuals who were exposed to the \u2018substance abuser\u2019 term had much more punitive attitudes toward the subject than if he was described as having a substance use disorder,\u201d Kelly said.<\/p>\n<p>After the Medical School published the findings in its Mental Health Letter, word spread. Kelly traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2015\/04\/26\/us\/michael-botticelli-is-a-drug-czar-who-knows-addiction-firsthand.html\">Michael Botticelli<\/a>, then-director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, and he presented the research at the first national drug policy reform summit in 2013. Soon the White House adopted his recommended terminology.<\/p>\n<p>In 2015, Kelly spoke before the International Society of Addiction Journal Editors at a conference in Budapest. In response, the group formulated a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.isaje.net\/addiction-terminology.html\">consensus statement<\/a> that recommends against using stigmatizing terminology, most notably \u201cabuse\u201d and \u201cabuser,\u201d in published addiction science.<\/p>\n<p>Another move influenced by his research, Kelly said, was the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ap.org\/press-releases\/2017\/data-journalism-chapter-debuts-in-2017-ap-stylebook\">decision<\/a> by the Associated Press to include a new entry on addiction and to revise drug-related entries in the latest edition of its stylebook.<\/p>\n<p>The work continues. As the founder and director of MGH\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.recoveryanswers.org\/\">Recovery Research Institute<\/a>, Kelly helped created a web tool called the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.recoveryanswers.org\/addiction-ary\/\">Addiction-ary<\/a>, a glossary of addiction-related terms including several words that come with a bold \u201cstigma alert\u201d warning. The national nonprofit Facing Addiction has adopted the tool, he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we want addiction destigmatized, we need a language that\u2019s unified and really accurately portrays the true nature of what we\u2019ve learned about these conditions over the last 25 years,\u201d said Kelly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis goes beyond political correctness,\u201d he added. \u201cIt\u2019s not just a matter of being nice. What we now know is that actual exposure to these specific terms induces this implicit cognitive bias. If you really want to solve the problem, you want to remove any barriers and obstacles.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Wakeman and Kelly are guest speakers in the free online course\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.edx.org\/course\/opioid-crisis-america-harvardx-hhp100\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">OpioidX: The Opioid Crisis in America<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><i>\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n<p>For many, the first step toward recovery means admitting a problem. In abstinence programs such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aa.org\/\">Alcoholics Anonymous<\/a>\u00a0participants often say their name followed by the statement \u201cand I\u2019m an alcoholic.\u201d While Wakeman urges people to say whatever makes them feel comfortable, from health care providers she expects \u201cmedically accurate terms.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe power of language is so strong, and the stigma is so deeply felt,\u201d said Wakeman, who bristles at the terms \u201cjunkie\u201d and \u201caddict.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That power was clear in findings by Harvard Medical School\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.harvard.edu\/johnfkelly\/home\">John Kelly<\/a>, who in 2010 conducted a pair of studies to test his theory that people exposed to certain terms associated with addiction display unconscious biases.<\/p>\n<p>Kelly, the Elizabeth R. Spallin Associate Professor of Psychiatry in Addiction Medicine, crafted two descriptions of someone struggling with addiction. In one paragraph he referred to the person as a \u201csubstance abuser,\u201d which he believed might suggest the notion of willful misconduct and lead to more punitive approaches. In the other paragraph he wrote \u201csubstance use disorder,\u201d a term he thought might convey the idea of a medical malfunction and lead to less punitive, more treatment-oriented attitudes.<\/p>\n<p>Kelly then randomly assigned the descriptions to 600 doctoral-level clinicians and asked them to answer a series of questions including whether the person should be punished or treated, whether he should be blamed for his condition, and whether he was a threat. Later Kelly repeated the test with the general population.<\/p>\n<p>In both groups the research found that \u201cindividuals who were exposed to the \u2018substance abuser\u2019 term had much more punitive attitudes toward the subject than if he was described as having a substance use disorder,\u201d Kelly said.<\/p>\n<p>After the Medical School published the findings in its Mental Health Letter, word spread. Kelly traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2015\/04\/26\/us\/michael-botticelli-is-a-drug-czar-who-knows-addiction-firsthand.html\">Michael Botticelli<\/a>, then-director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, and he presented the research at the first national drug policy reform summit in 2013. Soon the White House adopted his recommended terminology.<\/p>\n<p>In 2015, Kelly spoke before the International Society of Addiction Journal Editors at a conference in Budapest. In response, the group formulated a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.isaje.net\/addiction-terminology.html\">consensus statement<\/a> that recommends against using stigmatizing terminology, most notably \u201cabuse\u201d and \u201cabuser,\u201d in published addiction science.<\/p>\n<p>Another move influenced by his research, Kelly said, was the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ap.org\/press-releases\/2017\/data-journalism-chapter-debuts-in-2017-ap-stylebook\">decision<\/a> by the Associated Press to include a new entry on addiction and to revise drug-related entries in the latest edition of its stylebook.<\/p>\n<p>The work continues. As the founder and director of MGH\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.recoveryanswers.org\/\">Recovery Research Institute<\/a>, Kelly helped created a web tool called the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.recoveryanswers.org\/addiction-ary\/\">Addiction-ary<\/a>, a glossary of addiction-related terms including several words that come with a bold \u201cstigma alert\u201d warning. The national nonprofit Facing Addiction has adopted the tool, he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we want addiction destigmatized, we need a language that\u2019s unified and really accurately portrays the true nature of what we\u2019ve learned about these conditions over the last 25 years,\u201d said Kelly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis goes beyond political correctness,\u201d he added. \u201cIt\u2019s not just a matter of being nice. What we now know is that actual exposure to these specific terms induces this implicit cognitive bias. If you really want to solve the problem, you want to remove any barriers and obstacles.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Wakeman and Kelly are guest speakers in the free online course\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.edx.org\/course\/opioid-crisis-america-harvardx-hhp100\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">OpioidX: The Opioid Crisis in America<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><i>\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n"],"rendered":"\n<p>For many, the first step toward recovery means admitting a problem. In abstinence programs such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aa.org\/\">Alcoholics Anonymous<\/a>\u00a0participants often say their name followed by the statement \u201cand I\u2019m an alcoholic.\u201d While Wakeman urges people to say whatever makes them feel comfortable, from health care providers she expects \u201cmedically accurate terms.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe power of language is so strong, and the stigma is so deeply felt,\u201d said Wakeman, who bristles at the terms \u201cjunkie\u201d and \u201caddict.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That power was clear in findings by Harvard Medical School\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.harvard.edu\/johnfkelly\/home\">John Kelly<\/a>, who in 2010 conducted a pair of studies to test his theory that people exposed to certain terms associated with addiction display unconscious biases.<\/p>\n<p>Kelly, the Elizabeth R. Spallin Associate Professor of Psychiatry in Addiction Medicine, crafted two descriptions of someone struggling with addiction. In one paragraph he referred to the person as a \u201csubstance abuser,\u201d which he believed might suggest the notion of willful misconduct and lead to more punitive approaches. In the other paragraph he wrote \u201csubstance use disorder,\u201d a term he thought might convey the idea of a medical malfunction and lead to less punitive, more treatment-oriented attitudes.<\/p>\n<p>Kelly then randomly assigned the descriptions to 600 doctoral-level clinicians and asked them to answer a series of questions including whether the person should be punished or treated, whether he should be blamed for his condition, and whether he was a threat. Later Kelly repeated the test with the general population.<\/p>\n<p>In both groups the research found that \u201cindividuals who were exposed to the \u2018substance abuser\u2019 term had much more punitive attitudes toward the subject than if he was described as having a substance use disorder,\u201d Kelly said.<\/p>\n<p>After the Medical School published the findings in its Mental Health Letter, word spread. Kelly traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2015\/04\/26\/us\/michael-botticelli-is-a-drug-czar-who-knows-addiction-firsthand.html\">Michael Botticelli<\/a>, then-director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, and he presented the research at the first national drug policy reform summit in 2013. Soon the White House adopted his recommended terminology.<\/p>\n<p>In 2015, Kelly spoke before the International Society of Addiction Journal Editors at a conference in Budapest. In response, the group formulated a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.isaje.net\/addiction-terminology.html\">consensus statement<\/a> that recommends against using stigmatizing terminology, most notably \u201cabuse\u201d and \u201cabuser,\u201d in published addiction science.<\/p>\n<p>Another move influenced by his research, Kelly said, was the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ap.org\/press-releases\/2017\/data-journalism-chapter-debuts-in-2017-ap-stylebook\">decision<\/a> by the Associated Press to include a new entry on addiction and to revise drug-related entries in the latest edition of its stylebook.<\/p>\n<p>The work continues. As the founder and director of MGH\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.recoveryanswers.org\/\">Recovery Research Institute<\/a>, Kelly helped created a web tool called the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.recoveryanswers.org\/addiction-ary\/\">Addiction-ary<\/a>, a glossary of addiction-related terms including several words that come with a bold \u201cstigma alert\u201d warning. The national nonprofit Facing Addiction has adopted the tool, he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we want addiction destigmatized, we need a language that\u2019s unified and really accurately portrays the true nature of what we\u2019ve learned about these conditions over the last 25 years,\u201d said Kelly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis goes beyond political correctness,\u201d he added. \u201cIt\u2019s not just a matter of being nice. What we now know is that actual exposure to these specific terms induces this implicit cognitive bias. If you really want to solve the problem, you want to remove any barriers and obstacles.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Wakeman and Kelly are guest speakers in the free online course\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.edx.org\/course\/opioid-crisis-america-harvardx-hhp100\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">OpioidX: The Opioid Crisis in America<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><i>\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n"}],"innerHTML":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide\">\n\n\r\n\t\n\t\r\n\n\n<\/div>\n","innerContent":["\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide\">\n\n","\r\n\t","\n\t\r\n","\n\n<\/div>\n"],"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-global-padding is-content-justification-center is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n\t\t<p>When confronting the power of addiction, the power of language is important to keep in mind, specialists say.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychiatry.org\/psychiatrists\/practice\/dsm\">The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychiatry.org\/\">American Psychiatric Association<\/a>\u2019s diagnostic handbook, describes someone struggling with addiction as having \u201copioid use disorder.\u201d But many of us are more familiar with \u201cdrug abuser,\u201d as well as the term\u2019s negative connotations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s so hard for people to give up the \u2018abuse\u2019 word,\u201d said <a href=\"http:\/\/www.massgeneral.org\/doctors\/doctor.aspx?id=19383\">Sarah Wakeman<\/a>, medical director of the Substance Use Disorders Initiative and the Addiction Consult Team at Harvard-affiliated\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.massgeneral.org\/\">Massachusetts General Hospital<\/a> (MGH), during an interview at her office.<\/p>\n<p>Wakeman has written frequently on the topic, urging people to adopt medically accurate, \u201cperson-first\u201d language.<\/p>\n<p>The terms \u201cabuse\u201d and \u201cabuser,\u201d she wrote in an article published last year by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.asam.org\/\">American Society of Addiction Medicine<\/a>, \u201cimply a willful misconduct and have been shown to increase stigma and reduce the quality of care.\u201d Equally harmful, she added, is the language often applied to the most effective form of treatment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe stigma surrounding the use of pharmacotherapy, in particular opioid agonist therapy, is arguably more potent and harmful than the general stigma about addiction,\u201d Wakeman wrote. Drugs such as <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2015\/06\/19\/health\/suboxone\/index.html\">buprenorphine<\/a>, which can curb cravings and withdrawal symptoms, are too often called a \u201creplacement addiction.\u201d To counter that misconception, the use of buprenorphine, which is marketed under the brand name Suboxone, should simply be called \u201ctreatment\u201d rather than \u201cmedication-assisted treatment,\u201d Wakeman said.<\/p>\n<p>For Wakeman and other specialists, the distinction between \u201cdependency\u201d and \u201caddiction,\u201d two terms that are often interchanged, needs to be made clear. Many people who use an opioid to treat chronic pain become dependent on the drug, meaning if they stop taking it they will go through withdrawal, said Wakeman<strong>. <\/strong>By contrast, addiction is a medical disorder in which \u201cyou are compulsively using more and more of a drug that can cause bad things to happen in your life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Descriptions such as \u201cclean\u201d and \u201cdirty\u201d also have to go, Wakeman said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA doctor would never tell a patient suffering from diabetes that their blood was dirty with glucose,\u201d said Wakeman, demonstrating her simple rule for language choices.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe should ask, \u2018Is this a term that we would use for another medical condition?\u2019 If the answer is \u2018no,\u2019 we shouldn\u2019t use it.\u201d<\/p>\n\r\n\t\n\n\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone size-full is-resized\"><img src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/addictionlanguage.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-229475\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">HMS Professor John Kelly helped to create the <a href="https:\/\/www.recoveryanswers.org\/addiction-ary\/">Addiction-ary<\/a>, a glossary of addiction-related terms to help medical professionals and the general public modify their language about addiction. Graphic by Rebecca Coleman\/Harvard Staff\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\n\t\r\n\n<p>For many, the first step toward recovery means admitting a problem. In abstinence programs such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aa.org\/\">Alcoholics Anonymous<\/a>\u00a0participants often say their name followed by the statement \u201cand I\u2019m an alcoholic.\u201d While Wakeman urges people to say whatever makes them feel comfortable, from health care providers she expects \u201cmedically accurate terms.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe power of language is so strong, and the stigma is so deeply felt,\u201d said Wakeman, who bristles at the terms \u201cjunkie\u201d and \u201caddict.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That power was clear in findings by Harvard Medical School\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.harvard.edu\/johnfkelly\/home\">John Kelly<\/a>, who in 2010 conducted a pair of studies to test his theory that people exposed to certain terms associated with addiction display unconscious biases.<\/p>\n<p>Kelly, the Elizabeth R. Spallin Associate Professor of Psychiatry in Addiction Medicine, crafted two descriptions of someone struggling with addiction. In one paragraph he referred to the person as a \u201csubstance abuser,\u201d which he believed might suggest the notion of willful misconduct and lead to more punitive approaches. In the other paragraph he wrote \u201csubstance use disorder,\u201d a term he thought might convey the idea of a medical malfunction and lead to less punitive, more treatment-oriented attitudes.<\/p>\n<p>Kelly then randomly assigned the descriptions to 600 doctoral-level clinicians and asked them to answer a series of questions including whether the person should be punished or treated, whether he should be blamed for his condition, and whether he was a threat. Later Kelly repeated the test with the general population.<\/p>\n<p>In both groups the research found that \u201cindividuals who were exposed to the \u2018substance abuser\u2019 term had much more punitive attitudes toward the subject than if he was described as having a substance use disorder,\u201d Kelly said.<\/p>\n<p>After the Medical School published the findings in its Mental Health Letter, word spread. Kelly traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2015\/04\/26\/us\/michael-botticelli-is-a-drug-czar-who-knows-addiction-firsthand.html\">Michael Botticelli<\/a>, then-director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, and he presented the research at the first national drug policy reform summit in 2013. Soon the White House adopted his recommended terminology.<\/p>\n<p>In 2015, Kelly spoke before the International Society of Addiction Journal Editors at a conference in Budapest. In response, the group formulated a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.isaje.net\/addiction-terminology.html\">consensus statement<\/a> that recommends against using stigmatizing terminology, most notably \u201cabuse\u201d and \u201cabuser,\u201d in published addiction science.<\/p>\n<p>Another move influenced by his research, Kelly said, was the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ap.org\/press-releases\/2017\/data-journalism-chapter-debuts-in-2017-ap-stylebook\">decision<\/a> by the Associated Press to include a new entry on addiction and to revise drug-related entries in the latest edition of its stylebook.<\/p>\n<p>The work continues. As the founder and director of MGH\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.recoveryanswers.org\/\">Recovery Research Institute<\/a>, Kelly helped created a web tool called the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.recoveryanswers.org\/addiction-ary\/\">Addiction-ary<\/a>, a glossary of addiction-related terms including several words that come with a bold \u201cstigma alert\u201d warning. The national nonprofit Facing Addiction has adopted the tool, he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we want addiction destigmatized, we need a language that\u2019s unified and really accurately portrays the true nature of what we\u2019ve learned about these conditions over the last 25 years,\u201d said Kelly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis goes beyond political correctness,\u201d he added. \u201cIt\u2019s not just a matter of being nice. What we now know is that actual exposure to these specific terms induces this implicit cognitive bias. If you really want to solve the problem, you want to remove any barriers and obstacles.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Wakeman and Kelly are guest speakers in the free online course\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.edx.org\/course\/opioid-crisis-america-harvardx-hhp100\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">OpioidX: The Opioid Crisis in America<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><i>\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n"}},"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":383735,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2024\/04\/alcohol-is-dangerous-so-is-alcoholic\/","url_meta":{"origin":229023,"position":0},"title":"Alcohol is dangerous. So is \u2018alcoholic.\u2019","author":"Elizabeth Zonarich","date":"April 30, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Researcher explains the human toll of language that makes addiction feel worse","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AdobeStock_708252894-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AdobeStock_708252894-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AdobeStock_708252894-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AdobeStock_708252894-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":156192,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2014\/05\/addiction-clue\/","url_meta":{"origin":229023,"position":1},"title":"Addiction clue","author":"harvardgazette","date":"May 9, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Harvard researchers find that a gene essential for normal brain development, and linked to autism spectrum disorders, also plays a critical role in addiction-related behaviors.","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/addiction605.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/addiction605.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/addiction605.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":49750,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2009\/11\/addiction-a-disorder-of-choice\/","url_meta":{"origin":229023,"position":2},"title":"Addiction: A Disorder of Choice","author":"harvardgazette","date":"November 12, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"A sobering book, sure to draw ire: This psychologist posits that addiction is voluntary.By analyzing buckets of research, Heyman offers insight on how we make choices, and how we can stop ourselves from going too far.","rel":"","context":"In "Arts & Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Arts & Culture","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/arts-humanities\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":114803,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2012\/07\/alcohol-abuse-after-weight-loss-surgery\/","url_meta":{"origin":229023,"position":3},"title":"Alcohol abuse after weight loss surgery?","author":"harvardgazette","date":"July 30, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Experts on the use of bariatric surgery for the treatment of obesity gathered at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study earlier this month for a two-day seminar examining new evidence that stomach surgery for the treatment of obesity has unexpected side effects, including an increased incidence of alcohol abuse among\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/071912_addictionte_024_605main.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/071912_addictionte_024_605main.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/071912_addictionte_024_605main.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":381439,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2024\/03\/treat-addiction-with-psychedelics\/","url_meta":{"origin":229023,"position":4},"title":"Treat addiction with psychedelics?","author":"gazettebeckycoleman","date":"March 22, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Despite promise of success stories from patients in recovery, Law School panel cautions that research is lacking on benefits vs. risks","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Psilocybin mushrooms.","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/psychedelics_GettyImages-1576462600.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/psychedelics_GettyImages-1576462600.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/psychedelics_GettyImages-1576462600.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/psychedelics_GettyImages-1576462600.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":174947,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2015\/10\/working-to-break-heroins-grip\/","url_meta":{"origin":229023,"position":5},"title":"Working to break heroin\u2019s grip","author":"harvardgazette","date":"October 14, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Specialists in addiction see promise in a more comprehensive approach to treating opioid abuse, aided by medication.","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/091015_heroin_083_605.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/091015_heroin_083_605.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/091015_heroin_083_605.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229023","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/122429419"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=229023"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229023\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":282483,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229023\/revisions\/282483"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/229474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=229023"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=229023"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=229023"},{"taxonomy":"format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/gazette-formats?post=229023"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=229023"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}