The SNP Government has launched a new campaign that involves posters and TV adverts, one picturing a tearful woman, saying: “No, I’m not well. I have an alcohol problem.”
The adverts link to an information page on NHS Inform urging a “kinder” approach to those affected, adding: “People struggling with an alcohol or drug problem should get the same support and treatment as those with any other health condition.”
It continues: “Substance use has been seen as a lifestyle choice or the result of poor decisions. It’s also been described or viewed as a mistake or the result of moral weakness.
It calls on people to help challenge stigma by speaking out when they hear “negative or wrong comments about people with a drug or alcohol problem”.
Drugs policy minister Angela Constance said: “This is a hard-hitting national campaign which encourages people to see the personal story behind the stereotype.
“Stigma is damaging not only to the individual in terms of their mental health and sense of self-worth but it also discourages them from coming forward to get the help they need. It also impacts on friends and family members.
“We must remember that people with a substance use problem are family members, neighbours, friends and colleagues.
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