Words shape how people treat each other, how policy is made, and whether someone feels safe enough to ask for help. In the overdose crisis, language can be a matter of life and death. This article explains why public-health bodies encourage person-first language, what it looks like, and what the limits of the idea are.

Why language matters

Stigma keeps people from seeking care. People who feel judged may avoid the clinic, hide their use, or use alone, which is exactly the situation in which overdoses are fatal. BC Coroners Service data show that about half of unregulated drug deaths occur in private residences, where a person may be using alone. Anything that makes people less likely to be seen, whether by a family member, a neighbour, or a health worker, raises risk.

What people-first language looks like

Many health organizations, including Canadian public-health agencies, recommend language that puts the person before the condition:

Instead of	Consider
Addict, junkie, drug abuser	Person who uses drugs, person with a substance use disorder
Clean / dirty	In recovery, not currently using; substance-free test result
Drug abuse	Substance use, problematic use
Overdose “victim” or “casualty”	Person who experienced an overdose
Habit	Substance use disorder (where clinically appropriate)
Relapse as failure	Return to use

The aim is to describe the condition accurately without defining the person by it.

Words that mislead

Some terms are inaccurate rather than merely unkind. “Overdose” can imply the person took too much on purpose, while most deaths result from an unpredictable supply, so “poisoning” or “toxic drug death” can be more precise. BC officials use the term “toxic drug supply,” and the Coroners Service reports “unregulated drug toxicity” deaths. The wording puts the focus on the product, not on blaming the person.

What the research suggests

Studies of health-care workers’ attitudes have found that stigmatizing language can affect how clinicians perceive patients and what treatment they recommend. Experiments in which clinicians read the same case described with different terms found that people described as “substance abusers” were more likely to be viewed as deserving punishment than those described as having a “substance use disorder.” Findings like this are widely cited by public-health bodies, though you should verify specific effect sizes in the original studies before quoting them.

Limits and nuance

People are not all the same. Some people with lived experience prefer terms that others find offensive, and reclaiming language is part of many communities’ identity. It is reasonable to follow the preferences of the person you are talking with.

Language is not a substitute for services. Changing words without changing access to treatment, housing, and harm-reduction supplies does little. Critics note that language policing can feel performative if it is not backed by action.

Plain language has value. Medical jargon can also distance people. The goal is respect and clarity, not a rigid style guide.

Honesty matters. Euphemism should not hide real harm. Describing the serious risks of drug use accurately is compatible with respectful language.

Practical tips for writers and communicators

• Describe the behaviour or condition, not the person’s character.
• Use “toxic supply” or “poisoning” when describing deaths caused by contaminated drugs.
• Avoid sensational images and headlines that imply moral failure.
• Include services and information, such as where to find naloxone, treatment, and harm-reduction support.
• Include voices of people with lived experience.
• Be careful with statistics: say “preliminary” when data is preliminary, and give context.

Talking with family and friends

For anyone worried about a loved one, calm and specific language tends to open conversations better than labels. Saying “I’m worried about you, and I want you to be safe” invites a response where “you have a problem” may not. Carrying naloxone and learning the signs of overdose are practical ways to show care.

The takeaway

Stigma is a risk factor. Respectful language will not solve the overdose crisis, but it removes one barrier between a person and the help that could keep them alive. Pair the right words with the right services.

Sources: BC Coroners Service data (2025); public-health language guidance from Canadian health agencies. Verify any quoted study results before publishing.