Harm Reduction
Harm reduction is a set of practical ideas and strategies aimed at reducing the negative consequences associated with the use of drugs. Harm reduction is also a movement for social justice, built on a belief in, and respect for, the rights of people who use drugs.
8 Principles of Harm Reduction:
Accepts, for better or worse, that licit and illicit drug use is part of our world, and chooses to work to minimize its harmful effects rather than simply ignore or condemn them
Understands drug use as a complex, multi-faceted phenomenon that encompasses a continuum of behaviors from severe use to total abstinence, and acknowledges that some ways of using drugs are clearly safer than others
Establishes quality of individual and community life and well-being, not necessarily cessation of all drug use, as the criteria for successful interventions and policies
Calls for the nonjudgemental, non-coercive provision of services and resources to people who use drugs and the communities in which they live in order to assist them in reducing attendant harm
Ensures that people who use drugs and those with a history of drug use routinely have a real voice in the creation of programs and policies designed to serve them
Affirms people who use drugs themselves as the primary agents of reducing the harms of their drug use and seeks to empower them to share information and support each other in strategies which meet their actual conditions of use
Does not attempt to minimize or ignore the real and tragic harm and danger that can be associated with illicit drug use
Recognizes that the realities of poverty, class, racism, social isolation, past trauma, se-based discrimination, and other social inequalities affect both people’s vulnerability to and capacity for effectively dealing with drug related harm
Harm reduction work often includes activities to address social determinants of health and mitigate harms associated with unmet needs.
Some examples of harm reduction services: Narcan distribution, MAT, mental health care, syringe exchange and clean supplies distribution, vaccinations, HIV and Hepatitis C testing and treatment, wound care, recovery support
Benefits of harm reduction:
Reach vulnerable populations and communities
Generates healthcare cost savings-for every $1-2 dollars spent on harm reduction, $5-7 dollars saved
Increase referrals to support programs and health and social services
Reduce overdose deaths and early deaths
Reduce stigma and increase access to health services
Reduce transmission of communicable diseases like HIV/Hepatitis C
Reduce sharing of substance use equipment
Increase knowledge around safer substance use
Goals of harm reduction:
Save lives
Safer and reduced drug use
Improved health and relationship with healthcare systems
Reduction in stigma
Reduction in isolation
Increased support system
Improved emotional well-being
Any positive change
The 12 core principles of harm reduction:
Respect autonomy
Practice acceptance
Provide support
Connect with community
Provide many pathways to well-being across the continuum of health and social care
Value practice-based evidence and on-the-ground experience
Cultivate relationships
Assist, not direct
Promote safety
Engage first
Prioritize listening
Work towards systems change
Approaches are facilitative, not coercive, and aim to reinforce positive change, no matter how small or incremental they may be.
Risk factors for overdose:
Using substances intravenously
History of previous nonfatal overdose
High levels of substance use including alcohol
History of co-occurring disorder
Use of multiple substances
Newly released from treatment or incarceration
Using alone
Underlying medical conditions that impact the respiratory system
Recognizing the signs of overdose: Call 911 immediately if a person exhibits ANY of the following symptoms:
Unresponsiveness
Shallow, slow, or stopped breathing
Lip/fingernails turning blue/gray/white depending on skin tone
Pale/grayish skin
Very limp body
Vomiting or gurgling sounds
Slow or stopped heartbeat
Harm Reduction Resources:
Free Narcan: FAVOR Upstate | 864.308.8159
Challenges INC. - SC Harm Reduction | 864.214.6181 | help@challengesinc.org