Please don’t call them drugs.
Today I spent eight hours in the company of many neuroscientists. Smart folk. People I look up to, want to emulate and learn from. It was an honor. We covered different stimulating topics about serving our patients, diagnosing better and the development of our field of practice. We connected collegially, ate too much chocolate, exchanged cards and talked about each other’s families. I hope to meet them again soon at future related conferences and continue learning from their experiences and study.
The one thing I do not like about any of these meetings however, is hearing people who know better (if they thought about it) naming our good medications “drugs.”
Drugs. Yuck. What do you think of when you hear that word? I think of stigma, addiction, substance abuse, ruined families, fathers who do not come home, needle marks or powder on mirrors, low-living, illegal behavior, dealers, hepatitis and so much more – very little of which is good. Drugs. I cannot number how many patients I have spent oodles amount of time on talking them away from the stigma attached to medications because they thought of them as “drugs.” Blah. It is not anyone’s fault but we can start over when ever we want to, so let us. It is time.
Who thinks of anything that actually improves us when thinking of drugs? Who thinks of life-saving remedies, disease cures, hope, ability to feel pleasure again, forgotten shame, ability to hold a job, restful sleep, speaking well in public, desire to live restored or a mother who no longer wants to drown her baby? Do you think of that when you hear drugs?
Let’s get together on this and forget the word that carries so much loaded negative meaning. It is a disservice to ourselves – physician, scientist, grocer, student, surviving family of a suicide victim, newborn baby, patient and all of us who have any connection whatsoever to disease and treatment.
Drugs. I think of First Lady Nancy Reagan‘s famous campaign in the 80’s, “Just Say No!” That is not what we want to say or hear when we write or receive a prescription to treat and to heal what can be healed from a debilitating disease. Just say yes, please.
Medication. Not drugs. A word does matter. A word carries emotion on it like the smell of cookies baking in the oven or the toilet that was not flushed. A word can start a war or inspire forgiveness. Words matter. Words can be part of what helps us be better friends to ourselves. Why not use them to our advantage? Let us change our culture and decrease stigma with this simple word – “medication.”
Maybe when I am able to get together with my colleagues again, maybe next year even, we will be using the word “medication.” Maybe it will be because of the shift in culture people like you and I can start now.
Self-Care Tip: Please forget about the misunderstood word, “drugs,” and say yes to medication. Be a friend to yourself.
Questions: What do you think of when you hear “drug?” vs. “medication?” Is there a difference to you? To you think it would matter to culture and your “Me” if we used “medication” to refer to prescription therapies? If so, how? Please tell me your story.
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