Impact of stigma – Stopping Stigma

Stigma around substance use creates barriers to support, leaving people feeling judged, isolated, and afraid to seek help. It fuels harmful stereotypes, discourages open conversations, and prevents access to life-saving healthcare and harm reduction services. When stigma takes hold, people are more likely to engage in riskier behaviour and potentially face discrimination in employment, housing, and social settings. This website aims to challenge stigma and provide support. Hope, is here to help—offering guidance, harm reduction information, and signposting to your nearest service

Public stigma

This is the most common type of stigma and refers to societal disapproval or judgement that people with a substance use disorder face. It involves negative stereotypes such as:
Believing people with an addiction are morally weak or lazy.
Perceptions that they are criminals or that they ‘choose’ to engage in harmful behaviours.
Views that addiction is a personal failing or a lack of willpower, rather than a medical condition.

Self Stigma

Self stigma happens when individuals using substances internalise society’s negative beliefs about addiction. This can lead to feeling of shame, guilt and a lack of self-worth. People may avoid seeking treatment because they feel unworthy of it or fear being judged by it. This often causes people to hid their struggles, which can lead to further isolation or worsening of their condition.

Family stigma

Family stigma refers to the shame or guilt that families of individuals with substance use disorders may experience. This can look like:
Social isolation or avoidance from family or friends due to the family members addiction.
Shame about a loved one struggling with addiction, leading to secrecy or denial.
Feelings of guilt that family members might have, believing they somehow caused the addiction or that they could have prevented it.

Institutional stigma

This stigma occurs within organisations, such as healthcare providers and treatment facilities, where people with a substance use disorder may be treated unfairly or not given the treatment they need. This could include:
Healthcare providers displaying bias or reluctance to treat people with a substance use disorder.
Negative stereotypes among professionals that could hinder effective treatment.
Laws or regulations that prevent people from accessing necessary healthcare services due to a past history of addiction.

Enacted Stigma

This refers to the actual experience of discrimination or exclusion that people with a substance use disorder may encounter in real life. Some examples of this could be:
Being publicly humiliated or ostracised because of their substance use.
Experiencing verbal or physical abuse from others because of their condition.