Harm Reduction Harm reduction helps me more than abstinence only programs

[romans_ghost]

Harm reduction to me isnt just about moderation with substance use, though that can be a big aspect of it. What harm reduction really means to me is applying methods and techniques to my daily life, regardless of use or not, in order to live the healthiest life i can.

Recovery is not linear. It is not this black and white thinking of clean is in recovery, and using is not. Reducing the harm during use is a form of recovery. Accepting people with compassion, empathy, and understanding, even if they are still using, that is how people get helped.
Programs that preach abstinence only methods for recovery, while doing nothing to ensure other resources like basic needs, housing, food, healthcare, community, etc, get met, make no sense to me, and only further put more pressure on me when i try to pursue them.
Ive had significant time clean before, the longest being around 2 years, though i didnt keep exact track of dates but i know it was around that long, and i did it without a program, i just happened to quit smoking and went off grid and it became more inconvient to use so i quit for awhile. But i think i only stayed off for so long because i never intended to stay off for good, and didnt have that goal in mind, so there was no pressure or thoughts of future forced abstinence to avoid using.

Basically to sum up, i feel that when a program uses abstinence as their driving rule, they isolate a lot of people. Its also ironic that nicotine and caffiene are acceptable, purely because they are socially accepted, these are still addictive substances, and not only are they accepted, but openly encouraged at some of the meetings ive been to.

 

[Keif' Richards]

Hey @romans_ghost and welcome to the forums! We are genuinely happy to have new people. I especially like folks who use their own experiences and beliefs regarding Harm Reduction. I've been an addict for over a decade and I'm still dependent upon prescribed Opioids to this day. If that rug were to be pulled out from under me (see: Crimea in 2014), I doubt that I would "figure it out". "Figuring it out" while in severe withdrawal is like practicing archery from the front seat of a roller coaster; all of my decisions, no matter how "moral" or "good" they may seem, would likely fail.

I say this as a preface, as I'm like you, someone desperately desiring a sane, humane policy in treating addiction. I can't pretend to know everything, but can we not say that Switzerland had a wicked drug problem that they cured by more or less giving the addicts the drugs that they craved. It would seem that they decided to go radical and that gamble played out. I've been to Zurich and through the eyes of an American from Boston, the people were kind, the streets clean and I couldn't see a single sign of visible addiction i.e. beggars, outside sleepers etc.

And it would seem that other countries like Portugal are implementing similarly radical protocols with similar success. The hardest part now is getting the United States to do a full 180 from their century-long draconian policies and accompanying philosophies. Addicts in America are not American. Through the lens of conservative politics, our brother American has made the decision to give America the middle finger in favor of a life of complete and utter deviancy. We now have spent decades back-tracking from this rhetoric.

You see some positive movements, but they're only in the hyper-liberal locales like the pacific northwest, San Francisco and Vermont, which says a lot. They are talking more openly about safe-injection rooms, which I'm happy about, because any movement is good movement, but I feel these small, incremental adjustments come at a price.

I think Harm Reduction cannot be truly put into place half-assedly. Needle exchanges are great too, but, as touted as needle exchanges are by the media and non-addict observers, they do not in any way treat addiction to a drug. They simply lower the risk of disease, which is of course, incredibly amazing, but will not cause a person to stop using.

I think politicians not in favor of Harm Reduction can easily use rhetoric like "Well, we gave them the injection site, the Methadone clinics and the Bupe doctors, but I'm only seeing an escalating problem, aren't you?" And they would likely be correct. I am always happy to see progress being made, but we are incredibly far off philosophically and politically from a Harm Reduction infrastructure that makes a true, lasting difference for society.

There was a time where I thought the overdose epidemic that came with Fentanyl displacing Heroin might've been the straw to break the camel's back. It just seemed like so many people were dying and even "non-drug" people are saying what the fuck? Well, that didn't happen. It was around that time that Naloxone (Narcan) started becoming universally available. I'm hoping someone does something, but considering the massive number of dead we've had already, you have to assume there is some pretty high -level lobbying going on bu whoever the fuck.

 

[spammie nurse]

15 years ago I wouldn't have supported clean syringes, safe injection sites etc. Back then, I'd do what I'd do but paid for what I needed. Nowadays, I see the value in harm reduction. So, ambitious me decides to start a grassroots effort in my medium sized college town. We have had too many die in the past 18 months alone, including my young adult only daughter. Spoke to LEO and they agreed fent test strips could save a life, however they are considered drug paraphernalia in MO and I would have to find bail money. I've emailed all my local state govt official with polite form letter stating they'll look into it. I think maybe going to radio/ TV news, getting the University involved etc just to raise public awareness. Gotta start somewhere right? And maybe, if somebody reached out and gave my daughter a test strip, she'd have tested her pressed "Xanax" and she'd be here today. I agree, mine is a very short term help, but basic must also e met if needed.
Anyway, welcome to Bluelight.

 

[romans_ghost]

Im in missouri as well

 

[Lil'LinaptkSix]

Accepting people with compassion, empathy, and understanding, even if they are still using, that is how people get helped.

Bro what else can we do but treat equally.
We gotta show love sometimes.
We gettin, there, I hope. lol