OPIOIDS
harm reduction
(if we can't stop it, make it safer)
Embrace harm reduction programs and techniques. Emphasize compassion and increase the opportunities peers and/or service providers have with people who use drugs.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) lists the following ways harm reduction can be helpful:
Connects individuals to overdose education, counseling, and referral to treatment for infectious diseases and substance use disorders.
Distributes opioid overdose reversal medications (e.g., naloxone) to individuals at risk of overdose, or to those who are likely to respond to an overdose.
Lessens harms associated with drug use and related behaviors that increase the risk of infectious diseases, including HIV, viral hepatitis, and bacterial and fungal infections.
Reduces infectious disease transmission among people who use drugs (including those who inject drugs) by equipping them with sterile supplies, accurate information and facilitating referrals to resources.
Reduces overdose deaths, promotes linkages to care, and facilitates co-location of services as part of a comprehensive, integrated approach.
Reduces stigma associated with substance use and co-occurring disorders.
Promotes a philosophy of hope and healing by employing people with living and lived experience in leadership and in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of services. People with lived experience can also model for their peers what meaningful change can look like in their lives.
Builds community and increases protective factors for people who use drugs and their families.