Introduction: Drug users do not only face the problems of diseases, but they are often discriminated against, stigmatized and pushed to the margins of society. The reason for this is that addiction and drug use are characterized by society as an immoral and unethical act. Stigma is making their daily life harder and often represents an obstacle for them to seek medical help. This leads to late treatment, delayed diagnosis and worse health outcomes. We understand stigma as a disadvantage that distinguishes a person from the rest of society. Stigma is created by society's attitude towards the individual, and only by changing this attitude it can disappear. Purpose: The purpose of this work is to present the role of nurses in reducing the stigma of users who have problems with addiction to illegal drugs. Methods: A descriptive method of work with a critical review of scientific and professional literature in Slovenian and English. A pre-planned, repeatable literature search was performed in the following databases: Wiley Online Library, Web of Science, and Medline/PubMed. The review of the literature also included articles from Obzornik zdravstvene nege and the associations STIGMA, NIJZ, WHO and EMCDDA, as well as Google Scholar. Results: Addiction to illegal drugs should be seen as a chronic disease and not as a personal shortcoming and choice. It is also necessary for medical personnel to be aware of the consequences of stigma and discrimination to users of illegal drugs. Healthcare staff's approach must be supported by evidence-based interventions, communication and terminology. Discussion and conclusion: The nurse has a big role in dealing with the users of illegal drugs, as she must be an advocate, teacher, consultant, healthcare provider, support and example for them and the rest of society. It is also the nurse's role to advocate for change that would provide the users with easier access to health services and non-stigmatized medical treatment.
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