Dr. Sam Snodgrass, who lived an active opioid addiction for 22 years, holds a Doctorate in Biopsychology, a NIDA Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Behavioral Pharmacology, and is a past Faculty member of the Pharmacology and Toxicology Department at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Dr. Sam Snodgrass, who lived an active opioid addiction for 22 years, holds a Doctorate in Biopsychology, a NIDA Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Behavioral Pharmacology, and is a past Faculty member of the Pharmacology and Toxicology Department at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Words matter. They determine how we understand and perceive our world. They carry power, for good and for ill. Stigma is driven by the pejorative words, the labels, that are used to describe us. This is not a matter of political correctness. Until we are seen as people, until we are provided the same respect and dignity as everyone else, we will continue to die. We have to change the cultural perception of those with an opioid disorder. To do that we have to first change the language of opioid addiction:

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