ANNOYING EUPHEMISMS PART II: SUBSTANCE ABUSE

In a recent post I wrote about mild or indirect words or expressions substituted for one considered to be harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant of embarrassing - which is the definition of a euphemism according to the Oxford dictionary. 

Of course our language is full of euphemisms, they're a normal part of everyday life (rest room, sleep with, ....  ).

We use them to speak delicately about something, or to be polite (she's expecting...).

For some reason that I can't figure out, the subject of alcoholism/addiction is full of euphemisms (wild partying lifestyle ... tie one on ... three-sheets-to-the-wind ... getting wasted ...)

I find two of these euphemisms particularly annoying. Last time I addressed the functional alcoholic - this time let's turn to the ubiquitous expression substance abuse.

Something unpleasant or embarrassing ..............

Diseases don't normally have euphemisms - cancer is cancer ... diabetes is named that. They, and other diseases that are potentially fatal, are unpleasant and sometimes embarrassing, but we name them and use that name when talking about them.  Why does this disease have so many names? Chemical dependency, addiction, alcoholism and so on. Even if it could be narrowed down to those three, discourse about it would become more direct and to the point.

Obviously the weakness in any discourse (and the temptation to use euphemistic language) begins with the disagreement about what to name the problem itself - in this case, the disease.  (At an even more basic level one must admit that there are still - even though decreasing in number - people who deny there is a disease present at all.) 

And the terms we use are all too narrow, they don't cover the pervasiveness of the behaviours that characterize the disease. It's more than just chemical dependency - certainly more than alcohol (although alcohol is still by far the behaviour of choice for people who suffer from the disease). Even the word addiction has been domesticated so much that its everyday meaning has been minimized and made cute (being addicted to chocolate brownies, or Seinfeld reruns, and so on.) 

So, what are we left with?  Euphemistic language - delicate terms designed not to offend or be seen to be judgemental - about a disease that is permanent (incurable), pervasive, progressive, primary and predictable - and above all, fatal.  

Even professionals in the field of assessing and treating the disease are not immune to the trap of using euphemistic language when talking about addiction.

An example from the Huffington Post recently caught my eye: "Veterans dealing with substance abuse and PTSD suffer as much from stigma as they do from these very real illnesses."

I certainly do agree there's a stigma associated with the disease. My point is, substance abuse is not the name of this very real illness - substance abuse is a euphemism.

And, the point I'm coming to realize even as I write this, and why I find euphemistic language around this disease so annoying: because it is dangerous. 

Why?

Because using a euphemism in itself minimizes, or at least speaks delicately about, a deadly illness that has the potential to destroy lives and relationships - a disease that exacts a toll on communities - societies, cultures, nation-states. A disease that is a plague on families generation after generation after ....

Am I overstating it?

I don't think so. I'm zeroing in on the euphemism because our language reflects our attitudes, and substance abuse is an expression that reflects an attitude that is, at the very least, two-fold: 

First of all, that it's all about the substances (eliminate or enforce strict limits on addictive substances and there should be no more problem - declare WAR on the substances if necessary) ...

And secondly, that it's only abuse, it's not an illness (even though, as we've seen from the example above, some use the euphemism to talk about the illness itself). And, directly related to the stigma referred to above, the attitude behind the euphemism is that everyone can control their use of substances - especially alcohol. Using substance abuse when talking about addiction supports and promotes the belief that no one should be denied the pleasure of 'a few drinks' , or (insert here the alcohol-related advertising slogan of your choice ... ) by alarmists who call the relational process between a person and a life-threatening substance a disease. 

When someone uses the phrase substance abuse there appears to be no understanding of the pathology - lack of control, obsessive thinking, and so on - of addiction.  

The use of euphemisms can be harmless - they are part of the language of everyday life. But when I hear one used to name the disease of addiction I get a little passionate. 

Excuse me while I take a few deep breaths. I'll be calmer next time.      

You can read more articles on Relationships and Recovery at my new blog address:   www.dalemacintyre.blogspot.com