"Clean" → gambling-free

Stigma-preferred language

Definition

"Clean" makes its opposite "dirty," which is exactly the moral framing that keeps people from asking for help. The same objection applies to "clean time" and "clean date."

Preferred phrasing

gambling-free · bet-free · in recovery · a gambling-free date.

Source

Primary source for this whole section: https://www.recoveryanswers.org/addiction-ary/ Supporting: https://pttcnetwork.org/non-stigmatizing-language/ · https://www.recoveryanswers.org/research-post/person-first-language-heroin-use-disorder/

Cite this

Betttr. ""Clean" → gambling-free." The Gambling Recovery Glossary. https://betttr.net/glossary/clean/ (accessed 2026-09-20).

Last updated: 2026-09-20.

Corrections: support@betttr.net