Table 1.

Vignette Text with the Consistent and Varying Elements.

Consistent elements

Mary is a woman in her mid-30s who has completed high school. Mary used heroin for the first time 1 year after high school while at a party. At first, she only used heroin on weekends. After a few weeks, she found that she increasingly felt the desire to use more heroin. Mary then began using heroin every day. She spent all her savings and borrowed money from friends and her parents to buy more heroin. Each time she tried to cut down, she could not sleep and she felt anxious, sweaty, and nauseated for hours. These symptoms lasted until she used heroin again. Her friends complained that she had become unreliable. She made plans one day and canceled them the next. Her parents said she had changed and that they could no longer count on her. Mary tried to stop using heroin many times, but after a few days she would always go back to using heroin. After living this way for 6 years, Mary went to see a doctor for help. The doctor diagnosed her with an opioid addiction. With her doctor’s help, Mary entered a treatment program for her addiction. She started talking with a doctor regularly and took many steps to improve her life and stop using heroin. As of today, Mary has not used any heroin or other drugs for over 10 years. She lives near her parents; she enjoys spending time outdoors, and takes part in various activities in her community. While Mary still experiences life’s ups and downs, she does not feel she needs to use heroin to cope.

Varying elements

Chronic disease

Mary believes her opioid addiction is a chronic and relapsing disease and it is possible that she will use heroin again. Put differently, her opioid addiction is a chronic disease, like diabetes, which requires ongoing work or treatment. She feels that she is living with the chronic disease of opioid addiction and it will always be present in her body, mind, and life.

Survivorship

Mary believes she survived her opioid addiction, and it is unlikely that she will use heroin again. Put differently, her opioid addiction is a survivable condition, like some cancers, which can be treated and not come back for the rest of her life. She feels that she is a survivor of opioid addiction and it is no longer present in her body, mind, and life.

Vignettes Describing a Man Use the Name “Mike” and Corresponding Masculine Pronouns