CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study
Stigma is a major challenge for those who have an addiction to drugs or alcohol. Stigmas are imposed by society, communities, friends and family members and can cause major discrimination and hurt (Corrigan, Kuwabara & O’ Shaughnessy, 2009). For people who use drugs, or are recovering from problematic drug use, stigma can be a barrier to a wide range of opportunities and rights. People who are stigmatized for their drug involvement face difficulties enduring social rejection, labeling, stereotyping and discrimination, even in the absence of any negative consequences associated with their drug use. This manifests in a variety of ways, including denial of employment or housing. People with substance misuse issues are less likely to be offered help than people with a mental illness or physical disability. There is an extensive body of literature documenting the stigma associated with alcohol and other drug problems (Luoma & Twohig, 2007). No physical or psychiatric condition is more associated with social disapproval and discrimination than substance use (Corrigan, Kuwabara & O’ Shaughnessy, 2009).
Even among people who use drugs, stigma toward other people who use drugs can be common. People who use a socially acceptable, legal drug, such as alcohol, may have negative prejudices against people who use illegal drugs, such as marijuana. People who use illegal so-called ‘soft drugs’ such as marijuana may have negative prejudices against people who use illegal powdered or ‘hard’ drugs, such as cocaine. And people who inhale or snort their drug of choice may have prejudice against people who inject a drug (McLaughlin & Long, 1996).
Stigma is a Greek word that in its origins referred to a type of marking or tattoo that was cut or burned into the skin of criminals, slaves, or traitors in order to visibly identify them as blemished or morally polluted persons. These individuals were to be avoided particularly in public places (O'Driscoll, Heary, Hennessy & McKeague, 2012). Stigma is the experience of being “deeply discredited” or marked due to one’s “undesired differentness.” To be stigmatized is to be held in contempt, shunned or rendered socially invisible because of a socially disapproved status (Smith, 2012). According to National Agency on Drug Control (2011), when a person is not able to meet expectations because their behaviour or attributes are undesirable or unacceptable, then stigma disqualifies a person from social acceptance. O’Kelly (2003) suggests that stigma is an undesirable attribute that is incongruous with our stereotype of what a given individual should be. It is a use of negative labels and is about disrespect. It is not just a matter of using the wrong word but labels that person who has the substance use disorder.
            Stigmas can occur in many different forms. The most common deal with culture, obessity, gender, race, illness, behaviour and disease. Many people, who have been stigmatized, feel as though they are transforming from a whole person to a tainted one (O’Kelly (2003). They feel different and devalued by others. This can happen in the workplace, educational settings, health care, the criminal justice system and even in their own family. For example, the parents of overweight women are less likely to pay for their daughters' college education than are the parents of average-weight women. Furthermore, persons with mental health problems especially those who are substance induced may be abandoned by family members to avoid embarrassment from members of the society.