TREATING PAIN
*A Note on Language
We honor these stories by not adjusting the language people used to convey them as participants are sharing their own experiences. However, some of the videos contain language that can perpetuate stigma toward people with substance use disorders. As healthcare workers, we should use person-first language to reduce stigma and bias when discussion addiction. Not doing so leads to worse outcomes and experiences. Please review this NIDA page on person-first language for preferred terms to use when talking to and about people who use drugs.
Treating pain in patients with substance use disorders
When people who have used drugs experience acute pain or the pain of withdrawal, it often gets dismissed. Treat your patients with substance use disorders with timely, evidence-based care just like you would any other patient. Learn how this can help patients complete their hospitalization.
They kept me without giving me pain medication for 36 hours...they thought that since I was a drug addict, what I wanted was to do drugs. I don't go to hospitals for drugs. If I wanted drugs, I know where to find them.
- Mary, Community Health Worker
