Habits and Addictions
Harm Reduction
Not ready for abstinence? Traditional self-help groups turn you off?
Much of habit and addiction treatment today is geared towards those who are ready and willing to give abstinence a try. Not only is abstinence not possible in many cases (obsessive-compulsive tendencies, food, sex, etc.), but this is not representative of the nearly one-third of Americans who struggle with problematic substance use and other risky or addictive behaviors who are not yet ready to take that step. While this population may indeed want to work towards positive change, services are often inaccessible (and often harmful) to those not yet ready to sign up for such paternalistic and patriarchal recommendations for wellbeing.
Harm reduction encourages abstinence when able. But it also recognizes this as an ideal to shoot for, while still acknowledging that taking risks are part of our daily lives in many ways already. Risks such as driving a car (in which we wear seatbelts for safety, have stop signs, and anti-lock brakes, to reduce harm) or washing our hands to avoid illness. Drug use has always been a part of society and will continue to be. Harm reduction begins to ask the question WHY on an individual and cultural level instead of why can’t you stop. From this entry point, we can begin to change our relationship to the drug of choice through understanding and addressing the purpose of the use.
A harm reduction approach suggests that better is better. It further suggests that not only is it possible to work on other areas of life before changing addictive behaviors, but it is absolutely essential to look at these other life factors concurrently with the use of a chosen substance. While the goal may be abstinence, a lot of positive work can be done on the way there to improve quality of life, realistically look at the purpose of the drug of choice and what factors may be driving its use.
Harm reduction respects individual choices and believes that the client often knows what is best for them, in their lives, in this moment. Different from traditional recovery approaches, harm reduction meets each person where they are at, allows the person to guide the treatment process and encourages holistic, lasting and sustainable change through techniques such as Motivational Interviewing. It offers practical, individualized strategies that recognize each person’s story as unique and part of a mutually affected relationship with their environment. It offers hope and is a humanistic, strengths-based approach to improved quality of life. Shame and stigma have no place here.
Harm reduction has been successful in many ways, in many environments and with many risk-taking behaviors. Lives have been improved, saved even from this approach. It is a realistic approach to a complex problem. Let’s begin.
Recommended Reading
- Her Best Kept Secret: Why Women Drink and How They Can Regain Control by G. Glaser
- In The Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction by Gabor Mate
- Unbroken Brain by Maia Szalavitz
- The Sober Truth: Debunking the Bad Science Behind 12-Step Programs and The Rehab Industry by Lance and Zachary Dodes
- Coming to Harm Reduction Kicking and Screaming: Looking for Harm Reduction in a 12-Step World by Dee Dee Stout
- How to Change Your Drinking: A Harm Reduction Guide to Alcohol by K. Anderson, G. Alan Marlatt, PhD and Patt Denning, PhD
- Power Over Addiction: A Harm Reduction Workbook for Changing Your Relationship with Drugs by J Fernandez, PhD
- This Naked Mind by Annie Grace
- One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and The Twelve Steps by Kevin Griffin
- Refuge Recovery: A Buddhist Path to Recovering from Addiction
Sex, Drugs, Gambling and Chocoate: A Workbook for Overcoming Addictions by Dr. Thomas Horvath - The Abstinence Myth by Dr. Adi Jaffe
- The Biology of Desire: Why Addiction is Not a Disease by M. Lewis
Recover: An Empowering Program to Help You Stop Thinking Like an Addict and Reclaim Your Life by S. Peele - 7 Tools to Beat Addiction: A New Path To Recovery From Addictions of Any Kind: Smoking, Alcohol, Food, Drugs, Gambling, Sex, Love by S. Peele
Alcohol Explained by W. Porter - Responsible Drinking: A Moderation Management Approach for Problem Drinkers by F. Rotgers, M. Kern & R. Hoetzel
- The Freedom Model for Addictions: Escape the Treatment and Recovery Trap by Slate, Sheeren and Dunbar
- Quit Like a Woman by H. Whitaker
Self-Help
- 30 Day Alcohol Experiment
- Buddhist Recovery Network
- Refuge Recovery (Buddhist)
- SMART Recovery
- Moderation Management
- Life Ring
- Women for Sobriety
- Secular Organizations for Sobriety
- HAMS
- The Freedom Model
- The Life Process Program with Stanton Peele
- The Habit Doc (Dr. Marc Kern)
- Mindfulness Based Relapse Prevention
Organizations/Practitioners
- Check Up and Choices
- Rethinking Drinking
- Dee Dee Stout (Individuals and Families, Author)
- The Center for Harm Reduction Therapy (Jeannie Little, LCSW and Patt Denning PhD)
- Center for Optimal Living (Dr Andrew Tatarsky)
- Center for Motivation and Change (Drs Jeffrey Foote and Carrie Wilkens)
- IGNTD Recovery
- DrCarlHart – Scientist.Activist.Educator
- Dr. Marc Lewis – Understanding Addiction
- Dr. Lance Dodes, MD
- Dr Gabor Mate
- Dr Andrew Tatarsky
- Practical Recovery (Dr Tom Horvath)
- The Seven Challenges
- Non 12 Step Alcohol Treatment by Drs Edward Wilson and Mary Ellen Barnes
- The Tempest (Holly Whitaker)
- This Naked Mind (Annie Grace)
- Drug Policy Alliance
- Chicago Recovery Alliance
- Allies in Recovery