Substance Use & Addiction Journal
Beyond Disorder: Stigma and Identity Across the Substance Use Health Spectrum in a Public Health Framework
Background: Despite the widespread prevalence and health impacts of substance use (including alcohol), policies and services remain anchored in diagnostic criteria, overlooking people whose substance use does not fit clinical categories. This structural emphasis on meeting diagnostic thresholds often means people wait until crisis to seek help rather than engaging with support earlier. Substance use health frameworks instead encourage understanding substance use as an aspect of health that occurs along a continuum …