ACORN

A strong feeling of disapproval that most people in a society have about something, especially when this is unfair.” That is the definition of “stigma,” according to the Cambridge Dictionary of the English Language. In the case of people with gambling disorders, stigma can go beyond disapproval and become scorn and even dehumanization, impeding and preventing compassion, treatment, and recovery. As healers, helpers, community leaders, and health advocates, we encounter stigma so often and in such varied forms that we can easily come to see stigma as merely the way things are. But it doesn’t have to be this way. The harmful and outdated stigma that is still attached to gambling disorders, and to the human beings who experience these conditions, has held our field back and led to untold suffering for long enough. In this presentation, we will explore both the root causes and the unjust consequences of stigma, and investigate strategies for identifying, critically examining, and overcoming it among our peers, our stakeholders, our neighbors, and even ourselves.