LANGUAGE MATTERS
During the 2002 U.S. Department of Education's Annual meeting on Alcohol, Other
Drug and Violence Prevention in Higher Education a town meeting The Language of
Prevention: Finding Common Ground generated interest in continuing the
discussion and developing some guidance on terminology used in alcohol and other
drug prevention, especially such controversial terms as binge drinking and harm
reduction.
The terminology used in alcohol and other drug research, treatment, prevention
and policy has a potential effect on what people think and feel about the
problems related to their use, while also defining the boundaries of potential
solutions to consider. But just how much does language matter? How do terms such
as binge drinking, responsible drinking, abuse, and addict, among others relate
to research agendas and communicating research findings to support prevention
and policy development to reduce problems? Discussions in the prevention field
have focused on the impacts of language and developing a "shared" understanding
of how, why, and when we engage in either responsible use or abuse of our
nomenclature, and whether the field can move toward more unified words and
definitions within alcohol and other drug prevention field.
The following articles, guides and papers represent some of the current thinking
on the terminology of prevention and are offered to help further discussion in
the prevention field on the the importance of the words we use.
Prevention Terminology: A Guideline for Effective Communication
(Draft as of 10/14/04)
A Case against “Binge” as the Term of Choice: How to Get College Students to
Personalize Messages about Dangerous Drinking PDF (requires free Acrobat Reader).
Chapman, R. Choosing Our Words Carefully. NASPA's NetResults, July 22, 2003.
DeJong, W. Finding common ground for effective campus-based prevention. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 15:4:292-296, 2001. PDF (requires free Acrobat Reader).
DeJong, W. Language matters. Catalyst, summer/fall 1998. PDF (requires free Acrobat Reader).
DeJong, W. You Talkin' to Me? An Overview of Disputed Terminology in AOD Prevention (PowerPoint Presentation)
International Center for Alcohol Policies. Binge Drinking
On the Term, Binge Drinking. Higher Education Center Web page.
When is a binge a binge? Prevention File: Alcohol, Tobacco & Other Drugs, 11:2, spring 1996.
This page was last updated: May 3, 2006 4:21 PM