Harm Reduction: The Warmth and Chill of Mainstream Acceptance
Alexandra Plante
![Alexandra Plante]()
Alexandra Plante
Senior Advisor, Substance Use Continuum | Substance Use Disorder, Mental Health, Behavioral Health
?For decades, drug-related harm reduction has existed in relative isolation, often navigating legal gray zones because of strict state and federal regulations. These laws banned not only harm reduction programs, but also the basic supplies they needed to prevent overdoses and the spread of disease. However, with recent changes to these regulations and the removal of restrictions on federal funding, harm reduction stands on the brink of becoming a mainstream facet of the nation’s response to alcohol and other drug use. And as might be expected with any change of this size, the harm reduction community has met this monumental shift with both applause and apprehension...
Creative and Versatile Writer – Journalist, Public Relations, Marketing, and Comedy Writer. Also the Editor/Reviewer of Theater Mirror, one of the nation's oldest online theater review websites.
1 年Hi Alexandra, While you are a terrific and persuasive writer, I don't necessarily agree with all your points. Harm reduction as a stopgap measure may be useful, but having spent some time around methadone clinics and having had multiple conversations with opioid addicts that have been on suboxone and methadone and then gotten sober in NA or AA, I don't think there have been any that have advocated for that mode of "recovery" other than staying alive long enough to actually get clean. I also think equating strict abstinence espoused in 12 Step programs with ‘just say no’ thinking is terribly misleading. I would like to read more about the actual benefits of harm reduction if you have any suggestions. At this point, I tend to view HR as a windfall for pharmaceutical companies rather than a way to improve the quality of an addict's life, even if they are somewhat less likely to overdose.