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Harm reductions recognizes an individual’s willingness to make a change in their life, there is a wide range that these individuals may be along, from not thinking about change, to contemplating change, to taking action, to maintaining change and the other way around. The method of harm reduction first begins with focusing on what stage the individual is on with their drug use. As earlier stated the active participation of individuals who use drugs is at the heart of harm reduction. These individuals are the best source of information in terms of their own drug use and are determined with the help of other service agencies to determine the best form of intervention. There have been many success stories from having injection sites as a form

It should be noticed that in the recent few decades, the science developed at an astonishing pace, and the problem of substance abuse cause a huge public concern. Currently, substance abuse has already become a pandemic around the world. It costs individuals substantially, and it of their family as a whole. It is essential for the society to help those people who struggle with drug addiction to get rid of their pain and get back their health and balance life. Therefore, I understand the substance abuse is a tough area, and people who are struggling with addiction really need help. During the course of the interview, I

Currently, I am a counselor in training at East Carolina University within the Department of Addictions and Rehabilitation Studies. Upon graduation, I will be pursuing licensure as a Clinical Addiction Specialist and a Professional Counselor. I am working at the Navigate Counseling Clinic, under the supervision of Qunesha Hinton, who also serves as my ECU doctoral student supervisor. My faculty supervisor is Shari Sias, Associate Professor, Substance Abuse and Clinical Counseling Program Director at East Carolina University (office number: 252-744-6304; email: siass@ecu.edu) and facility supervisor is Dr. Leigh Atherton at Navigate Counseling Clinic (office number: 252-744-6300; email: athertonw@ecu.edu) .

“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 a harm reduction approach has a positive effect on drug users, as it helps to reduce the negative consequences that come from using drugs. Although harm reduction aims to reduce the harm from illegal drug using, it is viewed as

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 treatment, condoms and assist in connecting clients to social and health services (Semaan et al., 2011; Ball, 2007). Although, the benefits of harm reduction are evident through reduction of accidental drug overdose and prevention of

I had the privilege of talk to Diana W. Bear of the Inter-Tribal Substance Abuse/Prevention & Treatment Center. She is a Counselor at the facilities at Miami, Oklahoma. She confided in me why she pursued a career in substance and alcohol prevention as a second career in her life. She also had family member that difficultly with addictions and wanted to know more about addiction. With her desire to learn and overwhelming desire to want to help others to overcome it. She started by enrolling in some online class and finished up with attending Pittsburg State University for part of her college career. She started out as doing her practicum at the same facilities as she later got a job; she has been a counselor with Inter-Tribal Substance Abuse/Prevention & Treatment Center for now ten years.

Harm reduction is a concept that refers to policies, programs, and practices that aim to reduce the harms associated with the use of psychoactive drugs in people unable or unwilling to stop (Syme, Browne, Varcoe, & Josewski, 2011). Methadone has been increasingly utilized as a means of addressing and reducing the health, social, and fiscal harms associated with opiate addiction (Kerr, Marsh, Li, Montaner, & Wood, 2005). During my clinical rotation at Rosthern Hospital, I learned that this small town rural hospital has a successful methadone program to treat opioid addiction. When a person thinks of small town Saskatchewan, their first though is not usually intravenous (IV) drug use, but after working at Rosthern Hospital for a few shifts, I began to realize the town and the surrounding communities may have an addictions problem. At the hospital, the doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and support staff have all decided to collaborated and developed a harm-reduction methadone program for their patients. Not only is this program successful because it addresses the needs of the community, but it is also controversial. Using Carper’s (1978) “Five Ways of Knowing” I examined the methadone program and its patients, the positive and negatives, as well as a patient’s own personal experience being in the methadone program.

For this paper I attended three Alcoholic Anonymous meetings held every Saturday at the University Presbyterian Church from 7:30-8:30 pm. As I walked into the Church for my first AA meeting I was already feeling a little nervous and intimated. I made my way to the back of the room and sat in the last row while I observed all of the members of AA hugging each other, talking to each other like family, and sitting really close to each other. It felt as if I was intruding upon a bond that is so intimate and close. These particular meetings had two speakers who were asked to tell their stories about substance use and how it all began. In all honesty, I felt very uncomfortable listening to someone else’s story of whom I did not know personally and being at an AA meeting for the first time, I felt as if I was not supposed to be listening to any of it.

Moreover, there are many people struggling with a substance use disorder that are ineligible for services because they do not meet this criteria. A harm reduction group fills a gap in services that is currently at large for those with a substance use disorder. It is difficult to tangle with addiction and this is why there are treatment programs for it, but when we (the providers of care) require a client to meet us halfway, or more than halfway by having to start the early stages of sobriety without help, we are asking more than some clients can handle. Harm reduction works as a foot in the door to treatment for this disease without having nearly as many stipulations. Relapse is a common occurrence for those confronting their addiction disease and inpatient or outpatient programs either have a low tolerance or a zero tolerance policy on this matter, which leads to many people being kicked out of treatment. Having a harm reduction group fills this gap in services because no one is kicked out because of a relapse and it provides a safe space for clients to address reasons as to why they did.

Several studies have been conducted in New York to better understand how the harm-reduction model works (Tsemberis, Gulcur, & Nakae, 2004). A portion of the homeless population in the Bronx (Futterman et al., 2005) participated in an in-depth study that considered the many moving parts of the harm-reduction model. Participants had to meet certain criteria to be given a home, which reestablishes the lower level human needs, and while substance abuse was not part of the requirement, “… according to clinical records 90% of all the participants also had a diagnosis or history of alcohol or substance abuse disorders” (Tsemberis et al., 2004), which contributed greatly for understanding how well the harm-reduction model works within a substance abuse population. What they learned was quite interesting.

After interviewing my friend Bob, I really learned about him, and the struggles of overcoming an addiction. Bob’s abusive relationship with his father caused him to become very angry, and he projected it by turning to violence. Bob was in and out of prison, and that’s when he picked up his addiction to heroin. When Bob, was placed on parole, living in a treatment center helped Bob detox, but when he left, he was having a hard time adjusting to life. He almost gave up, and start abusing again, but the fear of going back to prison and wanting to change his life really motivated him to stay on the right path. Now Bob is staying busy by helping the employees at 7/11, and living off tips and General Relief. Bob prefers staying homeless, because

Harm reduction aims to reduce the rate of severe events that stem from substance abuse. The main goal is to keep people safe when they engage in drug and alcohol abuse, not to prevent them from doing it altogether. Harm-reduction strategies support the idea that there are many ways to abuse drugs and alcohol, and some methods are much more safer

First of all I would like to thank Professor Lamb for creating a safe environment to speak openly about our own experiences about drugs and alcohol. Once upon consulting my field instructor earlier this semester, she had posed the question… “Are you just sitting in it?” The “it” referring to my anxieties since my father is an addict. As I reflect on this semester, I believe there were a few times that I was “just sitting in it,” but as I heard some colleagues open-up it instilled a sense of courage and relief that I was not alone. I appreciate that you, Professor Lamb, created a safe and non-judgmental space to share our thoughts, feelings, comments, questions, etc. Thank you for giving us assignments that were not just “busy work” and that challenged us to get comfortable with the uncomfortable.

The workshop is about the addiction from the drugs, alcoholic, and smoking cigarettes. Therefore, the information what we got as students today from the workshop with the “Caryn Bettencourt” Health & Wellness Educator at Lowell General Hospital. The drugs or any of narcotic substances such as alcohol or even the smoking materials are harmful to the human health and hurt the community. The most important things that we learned from the educator which are how we keep our bodies healthy from the addiction. The addictive gives you the low level of working or studying. Also, it makes you stay far away from your family and friends. consequently, you will be aggressive of behaving and Stay away from taking responsibilities. In addition, addiction

I learned a lot from the presentations. The activities were a pleasant change of pace in engaging my mind to possible methods, techniques and hearing about the latest addiction and how it is effecting society. You make a great point that nutrition can be another aspect to assist a client from reducing the intensity and duration of withdrawals. I can imagine repeat offenders thinking they have tried everything i.e. working out, mediation, staying occupied to lessen their withdrawals. However, nutrition is a simple but effective way to maintain energy and mental awareness. Conversely, nutrition is not the silver bullet from withdrawals but it definitely something clients can use.