Fury as drug treatment staff banned from telling addicts to get ‘clean’ & ‘sober’ in case the words offend
DRUG treatment staff were banned from telling addicts they need to get “clean” and “sober” — as the terms are not “considerate” enough.
Woke chiefs at Hampshire and Isle of Wight councils told professionals to avoid the words as they may offend.
Paid workers and volunteers at addiction clinics were asked not to use the phrases “drug-free”, “mentally ill” and “alcoholic”.
And bosses want “substance abuse” to be called “non-prescribed use” instead.
Staff should refer to patients who had got off illegal substances as a “person who has stopped using drugs and/or alcohol”.
The bizarre demands were issued in an 11-page guide to using “person-first language” put together by public health chiefs at both councils.
Officials wrote in the booklet: “Being conscious about the words we use is not about being politically correct. It is about acknowledging that language matters and is an important part of our practice.”
The guide told staff dealing with addicts they could not call them “resistant”, “non-compliant” or “unmotivated” if they kept using drugs or alcohol despite help being offered.
Saying drug users had suffered a “relapse” or “setback” was also off-limits — and should be described as “currently using substances”.
Free Speech Union leader Toby Young said: “Shouldn’t the emphasis be on asking alcoholics and drug addicts to be a bit more considerate towards loved ones and local communities?”
Hampshire Council said the guide is “just one reference document for those helping users to become drug-free, reinforcing how important it is to use the right language”.