When discussing substance use, being mindful of language is critical to avoiding stigma. Stigmatising language can perpetuate negative stereotypes, hinder access to substance use care, and the wider resources we all need for our health and wellbeing. Everyday language used to talk about substance use can be discriminatory. Both choice of terminology and the underlying common narratives around substance use are significantly behind that used to describe other health conditions and social issues. This is partly due to the complexity in effectively challenging and dismantling stigma related to substance use due to its nature as a culturally embedded phenomenon. Therefore, rather than attempting to dismantle stigma we have traditionally sought to avoid stigma through anonymity and secrecy, which has clearly had benefits. However, this has also contributed to a lack of education around the topic and arguably perpetuated the idea that there is something to be ashamed of, further encouraging shame and feeding stigma. Furthermore, people affected by substance use often face discrimination and are not granted the same legal protections as those with protected characteristics under the Equality Act.