Woman’s Voice: The Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition is a diverse group of dedicated community members united around the goal of reducing substance use in Lenawee County. LSAPC members work collaboratively to engage and educate the community in order to promote a healthy Lenawee.
Kathy Williams: This is Kathy Williams. And with me on tonight’s program is Samantha Hollingsworth, and Samantha and I are going to be talking about how language matters. And what that involves is that how you talk to people that are in substance use disorder situations, the words that you use really are impactful. Samantha, welcome to the program.
Samantha Hollingsworth: Thank you, Kathy.
Kathy Williams: So, Samantha, what is it that you actually do involved with the Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition?
Samantha Hollingsworth: I am a certified Peer Recovery Coach at Pathways Recovery Engagement Center.
Kathy Williams: Okay.
Samantha Hollingsworth: We’re closely involved with LSAPC, and it’s a program of the Community Mental Health.
Kathy Williams: And so at Pathways, you pretty much specifically deal with people that are suffering from substance use disorder or in a recovery position?
Samantha Hollingsworth: Yes, yes. We are recovery coaches who have long-term recovery. We find that it helps immensely get through to others going through addiction, and they’re more comfortable speaking with us rather than a counselor or someone who hasn’t been through the things they’ve been through.
Kathy Williams: Well, I think with any kind of mental health issue, it is more beneficial to know that the person you’re sharing with really does know exactly where you’re coming from.
Samantha Hollingsworth: Oh, yes, yes.
Kathy Williams: There’s so many different components that go into, you know, any kind of mental health issue and a substance use disorders are… they cover a broad spectrum right now. There’s so many different kinds of products, I guess would maybe be one word, that are available that cause people to go down these roads.
Samantha Hollingsworth: Yes. And it’s not just… a lot of people think that “Oh, we’re just talking drugs here”. We’re talking alcohol and anything that you could, that can be abused.
Kathy Williams: Right. So, when… the topic of course today is language matters. You know, we talk about bullying and kids and things like that and how words, you know, can cause a lot of harm, but in substance use disorder, it’s the same kind of thing. You have to watch what you say.
Samantha Hollingsworth: Oh yes. Yeah. It can be offensive. But I think the goal is to reduce stigma. It’s a negative bias. And addiction – it’s not a character flaw, it’s not a moral weakness. And that’s the hardest thing is that’s where we’re categorized right now.
Kathy Williams: Right. So give us some examples of what we should say compared to what we shouldn’t say.
Samantha Hollingsworth: Well, for example, instead of “addict,” you might say a “person with substance use disorder”. Instead of “user,” “person with an opioid addiction”. I know it sounds like it’s a lot more to say, but there are correct terms. A “junkie person”, a “person in active use”. A “drunk,” a “person who struggles with alcohol abuse”. Those are the types of words.
Kathy Williams: Right. And of course, a lot of people might be not yet comfortable, you know, you can shorten that up, you know, if you, if you choose.
Samantha Hollingsworth: Right.
Kathy Williams: They were… they choose not to be sober at this point or something like that.
Samantha Hollingsworth: Right. It’s just important to use like supportive, non-judgmental words when you speak of it,
Kathy Williams: Right. And so at Pathways then are there actual classes that help these people, or how does that work?
Samantha Hollingsworth: One of the major things that we do, we hold SMART Recovery Meetings. And a lot of people, we’ve had good feedback on that because a lot of SMART recovery is about not using those titles. We don’t use those words in that meeting if at all possible. It is hard to get around because myself being in active addiction almost eight years, I refer to myself as an addict. I, one of the things that I take pride in and that I’ve helped with is start Celebrate Recovery in Hudson.
Kathy Williams: Okay.
Samantha Hollingsworth: And we announce ourselves during those meetings. And I prefer to say, you know, “and so I’m an addict”, or I say, “I am in recovery from prescription pill addiction”. So as you go farther into it, those kinds of words come to you or how you would like to be referred to as.
Kathy Williams: There you go. Right. Well, and it does take that edge off I think.
Samantha Hollingsworth: Yes.
Kathy Williams: Which people that are in, actively in addictions, it’s not because they want to be there.
Samantha Hollingsworth: Oh no.
Kathy Williams: And so by changing your focus of how you speak to people, it does show more compassion, I think too.
Samantha Hollingsworth: Yes. And a lot of people don’t see substance use disorder as a disease, but it is a chronic disease, but it’s also treatable.
Kathy Williams: Exactly. So there are lots of ways that anyone listening out there can find help for themselves or for a loved one. Can you tell us – where can they go for some help?
Samantha Hollingsworth: We’re trying to get our name out there. We’ve been, we’ve been open four and a half years and word is getting around. One of the major things that I had wanted to speak of today is the stigmatizing language in the medical field and the hospital settings. It reduces someone in addiction, their willingness to seek treatment because they feel less than, they feel looked down upon. And I experienced this in the emergency rooms. You hear nurses in the background talking about you. You get that vibe right away from an emergency room physician who may not be as familiar with addiction, but what they hear and what they see when people are coming in seeking pills and demanding, “give me something for pain”. They automatically picture you as that’s what you’re there for. That’s all you want. And I had done my share of shopping for pills. But the first time I went back out of addiction and said, “No opiates, flag me, red letters.” They look at you like, “Are you kidding? We never see this.” but that is a major thing. It… The words that are chosen to be used, it negatively influences the medical providers.
Kathy Williams: Okay.
Samantha Hollingsworth: I’m not for certain because I’m not one, but if they haven’t experienced that with a loved one or someone they know, that’s exactly the take, they, that they’re going to see on it.
Kathy Williams: So, we need to not prejudge how the person got to the situation they’re at.
Samantha Hollingsworth: Right.
Kathy Williams: And choose our words better to let them understand that we’re not prejudging, that we’re really there to just help.
Samantha Hollingsworth: Right. Because language has power.
Kathy Williams: It does.
Samantha Hollingsworth: And it, you know, the words we use frame what people think about that. And stigma… it’s all about discriminating against a group of people or a person for what they’ve gone through or what’s currently happening, and it’s just sad. I’ve tried to, ever since I’ve been in recovery is do anything I could to try to bring awareness to that language. And I mean, even close family members to me will slip up and say, “You know, my daughter’s an addict,” you know, and it’s just like, you kind of cringe after a while. But like I said, I looked at myself as an addict.
Kathy Williams: Oh yeah, right.
Samantha Hollingsworth: But until I started doing the trainings that I’ve done through CMH… But at Pathways, you know, we have a Facebook page. You can find us, the phone number, through CMH or anything. We’re there all through the week overnight and then 24 hours on the weekends. If no one answers, we call right back when we get in to check. We’re there to help with anything we can or point you in the right direction.
Kathy Williams: There you go. Thanks so much, Samantha. Thanks for sharing your story and helping us become more aware of how our, how to choose our words more appropriately.
Samantha Hollingsworth: Well, thank you for having me.
Woman’s Voice: Thank you for listening. This information has been provided by the Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition. Supported by funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration. New messages air on the first and third Monday of each month at 6:15 p.m. You can listen to this program as a podcast under the audio tab on WLEN.com and listen and gather more information at DrugPreventionLenawee.com.
