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Free tool ยท Language guide

Say this, not that.

Words are the cheapest culture change available. The language below shows up in policies, emails, safety meetings, and break rooms, and each swap makes it a little easier for someone to ask for help. Search it, steal it, paste it into your handbook.

The one rule that covers everything: people get to name themselves however they want. Plenty of folks in recovery say "alcoholic" or "addict" about themselves, and that's their call. This guide is about what you call other people, and what goes in writing.

No matches. Try a shorter word.

Most of this fix is a red pen

Handbooks, policies, job postings, and safety comms usually need a few dozen small edits, not a rewrite. We do that review as a small, fast engagement, and it's one of the easiest first moves a company can make toward Recovery Friendly. Here's what that looks like.

If this page is actually about you

Maybe a few of these words landed harder than expected, because they've been said about you, or you've been saying them to yourself. That wondering is worth paying attention to, and it doesn't have to mean anything about anything. Curiosity is not a confession. I've been on both sides of it, and the math got easier once I stopped doing it alone. If you ever want to talk to someone who won't flinch, my door is open. No judgment, no agenda, no follow-up unless you want one.

Brett Lovins · 13 years in recovery · reach me here