My personal opinion on the legal/societal aspect of harm reduction is all recreational drugs should be regulated in similar manners to alcohol and tobacco. It would cut down on the organized crime and violence associated with the black market drug trade. It would keep non-violent drug users out of prisons, where they may learn to become violent criminals. It would regulate the purity of the substances, reducing the possibility of overdose, etc.
I also think extensive, well-run, high quality addiction rehabilitation and harm reduction systems should be readily and affordably available to those wishing to manage an uncontrollable and/or harmful addictive disorder. These programs could even be funded by taxation of recreational substances.
I tend to feel harm reduction techniques are ways to keep people who are dangerously addicted alive until they reach a point where they want/can quit. I feel in my life a huge harm reduction aid was the ability to have weekly psycho-therapy sessions while I was still using.
Most therapists require drug users be clean before starting therapy, however if one is using drugs to self-medicate mental disorders in the first place then it seems only logical that the mental disorders should at least begin to be examined before the individual quits drugs.
Now it is true that it is rarely possible to get an accurate diagnosis of psychological disorders when an individual is using any mind altering chemicals regularly, however a therapist (that is an individual with a Master's degree in psychology or social work) cannot legally give an official diagnosis anyway. That can only be done by psychologists (individuals with a Ph.D or Psy.D) or psychiatrists (individuals with an M.D.). Therapists are there to offer empathic listening, moral support, positive feedback, and encouragement. There is absolutely no reason why current drug users should be denied this kind of service. And yet they usually are.
Quitting drugs is easier if you understand why you use in the first place. A therapist can help you analyze your motivations for drug use, and come to terms with the possibly painful and brutal realities behind your use before you actually give up the security blanket of drug use you have been clinging to. A therapist can help gently ease the security blanket from your clutches as opposed to wrenching it away from you before you even know why you cling to it.
I also think extensive, well-run, high quality addiction rehabilitation and harm reduction systems should be readily and affordably available to those wishing to manage an uncontrollable and/or harmful addictive disorder. These programs could even be funded by taxation of recreational substances.
I tend to feel harm reduction techniques are ways to keep people who are dangerously addicted alive until they reach a point where they want/can quit. I feel in my life a huge harm reduction aid was the ability to have weekly psycho-therapy sessions while I was still using.
Most therapists require drug users be clean before starting therapy, however if one is using drugs to self-medicate mental disorders in the first place then it seems only logical that the mental disorders should at least begin to be examined before the individual quits drugs.
Now it is true that it is rarely possible to get an accurate diagnosis of psychological disorders when an individual is using any mind altering chemicals regularly, however a therapist (that is an individual with a Master's degree in psychology or social work) cannot legally give an official diagnosis anyway. That can only be done by psychologists (individuals with a Ph.D or Psy.D) or psychiatrists (individuals with an M.D.). Therapists are there to offer empathic listening, moral support, positive feedback, and encouragement. There is absolutely no reason why current drug users should be denied this kind of service. And yet they usually are.
Quitting drugs is easier if you understand why you use in the first place. A therapist can help you analyze your motivations for drug use, and come to terms with the possibly painful and brutal realities behind your use before you actually give up the security blanket of drug use you have been clinging to. A therapist can help gently ease the security blanket from your clutches as opposed to wrenching it away from you before you even know why you cling to it.
