“Harm reduction is based on the premise that people are responsible for their behaviour, that they maker personal choices that affect their health and well-being, and that they can make safer and better decisions if given useful and honest information” (Mathre, 2002, p. 106). Harm reduction recognizes people’s unhealthy choices while also attempting to reduce the harmful effects that come from these unhealthy behaviours (Marlatt, 1998 as cited in Brown, Luna, Ramirez, Vail, and Williams, 2005). Using
Harm Reduction Human beings are naturally defensive and react in certain ways to things such as them feeling that someone is judging them in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable. When it comes to drug users, approaching an addict telling them “You must stop taking drugs!” or “Drugs are going to kill you!” has not and will never work. It is more effective and sensible to approach them by informing them of the dangers of a specific drug to inform them of the potential harms that come along with
Harm Reduction theory is an approach that was originally and successfully used when counseling HIV positive clients. When using the Harm Reduction approach during drug treatment, the counselor approaches the issue of substance abuse as a something more than just an issue to be cured. The intent of Harm reduction therapy is not to completely eliminate the client’s use of drugs, but instead focuses on minimizing the physical and mental harm that can be associated with the ongoing abuse of the given
Harm reduction can be defined as an approach that aims to reduce the consequences of high risk behaviours such as injection drug use on the individual and on society as a whole. Harm reduction programs provide injection drug users with access to a clean injection environment, sterile injections, drug-preparation equipment and safe disposal of contaminated material at the time of injection. Staff members in harm reduction facilities provide health teaching, anonymous HIV testing, information on addiction
Is Harm Reduction the Answer to Canada’s Drug Addiction Problem? Drug and substance abuse is a problem that since time immemorial continues to affect billions of people, families, and communities across the world. Apart from the health risks posed to individuals, drug abuse has dire socio-economic effects as it has huge financial and social burdens on the society. Many families are destroyed, economies ruined while communities are persecuted. Drug abuse also jeopardises the safety of the entire
analysis will be on substance abuse control methodologies, gauging effectiveness and overall success in achieving its purpose. The harm reduction model the most prevalent ideology within the large spectrum of substance control methods, it is defined by the Centre for Mental Health and Addiction as any program or policy designed to reduce drug-related harm without requiring the cessation of drug use. In essence instead of adhering to the conventional eradication style practices aforementioned
. Harm reduction is referred to as a “pragmatic” approach because it starts with accepting that individuals have and always will, use drugs and engage in high-risk behaviors in ways that pose a threat to both themselves and their community. While the focus is placed on reducing consequences, not decreasing or eliminating unsafe behaviors, harm reduction does not preclude abstinence from being a goal as long as it is one which the affected individual identifies, thus rendering it compatible with a
What are the implications of harm reduction ideologies on the future of treatment for substance use disorders? A Review of the Literature A review of the literature reveals no clear-cut definition of harm reduction. Most experts are in agreement, however, that the primary emphasis of harm reduction strategies is to reduce the health, social, and economic consequences associated with alcohol and drug use. Implicitly or explicitly, complete abstinence is the goal of the vast majority of substance abuse
Harm reduction strategies in Canada, such as safe injection sites (SIS) have been proven to be an effective strategy to control the effects of injection drug use (Small et al., 2011). The proven effectiveness of these strategies renders the governments’ “war on drugs” and criminalization strategies ideological. The Toronto Board of Health meeting that took place on July 10, 2013 where public health officials, community organizations, previous injection drug users (IDUs) and their families spoke in
After learning and reading more about Harm Reduction I feel as if it is an appropriate response to the prevalence of drug-related mortality and premature morbidity from preventable causes with our society. There is no one singularly effective route to take addiction intervention or prevention as the overall efficacy of programs is dependent on how they address the individual substance user needs. I have come to realize throughout this week that harm reduction encompasses a multitude of diverse settings
Harm reduction has become an important concept in substance use treatment and policy in the last few decades, as the United States has increasingly been adopting these policies in a number of different areas (Van Wormer & Davis, 2013). As these policies continue to grow in prevalence, it is important that such practices can be justified through research evidence and ethical principles. While there is debate in the field as to whether or not harm reduction is truly neutral of value judgments (Miller
heroin, which can change the way people thinks, acts and feels. Today, there are many programs that are established to help drug users and prevent the spread of diseases. Needle exchange program (NEPs) is one of the programs, which has goal to reduce harm to drug users and innocent people. Moreover, implementing of needle exchange programs has become an argument because it cannot help drug users but instead it encourages them to use more drugs. In fact, needle exchange programs are ineffective at reducing
This article outlines, through studies and research, how the shut down of the only fixed needle exchange in Victoria affects the social welfare of those needing to use clean sterilized needles. Due to complaints of the hazard issues and public disturbances from neighbours the fixed needle exchange shut down (Cleverley, 2010). As a result, there has been an increase in dirty needle usage which is causing an increase in health hazards, more than that of Vancouver (Cleverley, 2010). The sharing and
Harm reduction itself is a heavily contested topic, predominantly with regards to its definition, but subsequently with its effectiveness, which is highly dependant on which definition is applied. It is important when discussing definition debates to consider that, as stated by Erickson (1995) "our interpretations of the term tend to change over time and this is a healthy process that is essential in the full articulation of an 'emerging public health perspective'" (Erickson, 1995: 283). There is
Although needle exchange programs have been successful, they have had some criticism. One of the main goals in the needle exchange program is to prevent or to reduce the rate of transmission of any infectious diseases, such as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or hepatitis C by distributing sterile syringes. The intended group that this program is trying to focus on is injecting drug users, since they have a high rate of either repeatedly using a contaminated syringe or sharing the same syringe
Introduction Harm reduction is a drug policy designed to reduce the consequences associated with drug and alcohol use. It is not intended to reduce or stop the use of drugs. Some areas that harm reduction can improve includes health, drug related crime and the amount of drugs or alcohol used. Harm reduction has faced some opposition and critics feel that it sends the community a message that substance use is okay and people feel that it may not reduce the harms associated with substance abuse as
Social Policy - Drug policy and crime - Harm reduction vs Prohibition Harmful drugs are an issue that creates controversy just by being mentioned, let alone acted upon by public policy. Despite this, policy actors must address drugs, through action or inaction, for the chance to make our society safer and healthier. Scientists and policy makers tend to agree that some drugs can be harmful to their users (Nordegren, 2002), but there are two broad camps of opinion on how best to protect users from
Cause and Effect Essay - The Causes of America’s Social Problems The causes of social problems exist on many levels. When we ask why social problems such as poverty, unemployment, crime, and war exist, each time we determine a cause, we can ask "why" again, as children often do until they are hushed. Poverty exists because some folks can't find jobs or the jobs pay poorly. But then why is the wage level so low? Because of the tax and land-tenure systems. Why do we have those systems? Because
Class-Size Reduction As our country continues to grow, so do our classrooms in which our future is grown. Crowded classrooms can make it difficult for children to learn and can increase stress to pass a class. Reducing class sizes at an early age can "improve student learning" by their being exposed to more one on one attention with a teacher (Class-Size Reduction Program). To achieve this goal, the Class-Size Reduction Program calls for more and better-qualified teachers
Core Elements of Health Education and Risk Reduction Activities A number of core elements should be considered in health education and risk reduction program and evaluation activities. Effective Health Education and Risk Reduction program activities: • State realistic, specific, measurable, and attainable program goals and objectives. • Identify methods and activities to achieve specific goals and objectives. • Define staff roles, duties, and responsibilities. • Define the populations