Why stigma matters in addressing alcohol harm

Abstract

Alcohol problems are amongst the most stigmatised of conditions, resulting in multiple additional harms for people with alcohol use disorder. Alcohol stigma encompasses widely endorsed negative stereotypes leading to prejudice and discrimination towards people with alcohol use disorder. Self-stigma further harms individuals through preventing and undermining recovery. The persistence of alcohol stigma highlights the limitations of an illness model of alcohol use disorder for stigma reduction; in fact, many groups inadvertently reinforce stigma by emphasising the artificial line between ‘normal’ drinkers and the pathologised ‘alcoholic other’. A public health case for alcohol stigma reduction highlights the need to address this societal false dichotomisation of problem drinkers. Promoting a continuum-aligned model of alcohol use disorder, a dynamic model of responsibility, and other evidence-led approaches such as person-first language by key stakeholders are recommended.