According to the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse, although substance use disorders are chronic and treatable medical conditions, studies show people with these disorders face discrimination and stigma. A key part of educating the public around this topic centers around countering this stigma. This is a sensitive issue, because there may be some in your public who see substance use issues as primarily an issue for law enforcement rather than as an issue for health, support, and harm reduction. Navigating this topic requires messaging, compassion, and partnerships. Here is some general advice on how to proceed.
1. Model the way you want the public to see substance use disorders.
- Language matters: Use “people-first” language (“people with substance use disorders” vs. “addicts”).
- Position library support for people with substance use disorders as part of what libraries have always done: helping people navigate difficult life circumstances through reading, information, and social connections.
- Connect this topic to universal values of safety, dignity, access. Frame the issue in library terms: Use words that the public are familiar with and already support, including access to information and community well-being.
2. Educate through compassion
- Systems-thinking. Systemic racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination lead to multiple layers of stigma for many people with addiction. Just the stress of feeling discriminated against can increase the likelihood that someone will use substances. Help the public understand these systems through programming that helps the public understand the systems that lead to substance use disorders.
- Human stories: Without identifying individuals, share examples of how patrons benefit from nonjudgmental access to resources. Stories make the data real.
3. Partnerships and Shared Responsibility
As you work to educate the public on these topics, it is crucial to recognize:
- You’re not doing it alone— collaborate with local health agencies, recovery organizations, peer support groups, and others committed to educating the public on substance use disorders. A great place to start finding allies is the National Harm Reduction Coalition.
- One place to get guidance on identifying partners and working with them to share responsibility is the Cultivating the Relationship-Driven Library Toolkit.
4. Leverage External Voices
- The public may not see you or your library as “experts” on this topic. One way to confront this perceived lack of expertise is to bring in a trusted partner (public health officer, recovery advocate, law enforcement representative) to co-present programs.
- Another option is to ask these community experts for flyers, brochures and other information that you can distribute in displays, at programs, and in outreach events.
- Having an outside expert working alongside you to educate the public reduces the sense that it’s “just the librarian’s opinion.”
5. Educating the Public is not a library program
- You can’t change people’s hearts and minds in a single program. Educating the public on an issue as complicated as substance use disorder requires a long-term commitment.
- Ensuring that the library is seen as a trusted voice on this topic, speaking alongside other community experts and grassroots activists, is how successfully educating the public is achieved. Communication scholars tell us that successfully changing people’s minds requires that people hear the same message from multiple, trusted sources. The public library can be part of that work, but we can not do it by ourselves.