Honor the power of your voice and begin your journey with us today!
Honor the power of your voice and begin your journey with us today!

What Is a Guest?

GUEST noun

a: a person who is invited to visit or take part in an event

b: a person to whom hospitality is extended by a host

At Royal Life Centers, we are your hosts, extending an open invitation to you and other individuals who reach out for help with substance abuse. As such, we regard the individuals who stay with us to receive our services as our guests. 
Guest
Although most treatment providers refer to the individuals in their care as “clients” or “patients”, we see you as our guest. From the moment you walk through our doors, we want you to feel welcomed, respected, and cared for. For this reason, we take on the responsibility of helping you recover throughout your stay. In doing so, we ensure that your accommodations are up to par, and maintain an honest and open discussion about your treatment plan throughout your time in treatment. While at Royal, you are our guest, and it is a privilege to host you. Not only are you welcomed into Royal Life Centers, you will become an integral player in your life’s transformation during your stay.

Why Is the Term “Guest” Important?

It is imperative as Royal Life Centers staff that we treat all of our guests equally with the same respect, kindness, and acceptance. To promote open communication and mutual respect during your time in our care, you also can expect the following:

We work to guarantee that each guest feels secure and always position ourselves in a way that allows us to immediately be at their service if needed. For example, one of the ways our staff members at Royal Life Centers integrate a sense of compassion and sympathy within our programs is by using guest-centric language.

What Is ‘Guest-Centric’ Language?

We understand the importance of words— the things we say have the power to impact the way that others feel. We choose our words carefully because words can be powerful, and we prefer to speak in a language that shows positivity and intention. While words can heal and generate growth, they can also hurt and reduce someone’s motivation. 

In fact, a lot of people want to be supportive and understanding of their loved one’s situations. Unfortunately, the stigma surrounding substance use disorders is integrated into western society, so most people simply lack a positive example illustrating respectful, and non-judgmental language that helps those in the process of healing or finding help.

Guest-centric language, also known as person-first language (PFL), places the person before the disability, effectively describing what the person has, not what the person is. Our staff acknowledges that the guest-centric treatment of our guests extends beyond the programs and services and into the way that we address and speak to our guests. In fact, Royal Life Centers staff members use person-first language to emphasize each guest’s individuality, equality, and dignity.

What Is a Guest

How Can Person-First Language Help?

For people with substance use disorders, person-first phrases provide consistent, objective language to avoid stereotypes or labels. Instead of blaming language surrounding addiction, such as “addict,” PFL reframes the statement as “individual with a substance use disorder.”

Since our founding, Royal Life Centers has vowed to treat our guests as individuals. We don’t support any language that can be taken as demeaning. As a major treatment network, we see our responsibility in helping rewrite the standards and common knowledge surrounding addiction. We strive to make addiction education more prominent and accessible to those who need it. We see the first way to start is the way we talk about addiction. 

Replacing terms like “addict,” “alcoholic,” “junkie,” and “druggie” with person-first language such as “individual with a SUD” decreases the inherent judgment and blame many Americans associate with addiction. Words shape how we view people and thus how we treat them. To help people with substance use disorders, we must change the way we speak about them and to them. This is why guest-centric language is so important to all of us at Royal Life Centers. 

If you’re concerned you or a loved one has a substance use disorder, give us a call to see how we can help. Royal Life Centers treats a range of substance abuse issues safely and effectively. Our team is available 24/7 to answer your questions.

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