"Gambling addict" / "addict" → person with a gambling disorder

Stigma-preferred language

Definition

Labeling someone an addict collapses a whole person into a diagnosis and is one of the most-studied stigmatizing terms in addiction research. Person-first phrasing keeps the condition secondary to the person.

Preferred phrasing

person with a gambling disorder · person with a gambling addiction.

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. ""Gambling addict" / "addict" → person with a gambling disorder." The Gambling Recovery Glossary. https://betttr.net/glossary/gambling-addict-addict/ (accessed 2026-09-20).

Last updated: 2026-09-20.

Corrections: support@betttr.net