How Does Harm Reduction Support People with Substance Use Disorder?

When you think of substance use treatment, you probably picture an inpatient program where a person must completely quit drug and alcohol use. The 28-day treatment and 12-step programs are often held up as gold standards. But the truth is, these programs don’t work for everyone. In recent years, harm reduction treatment has been adopted by many, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as a more effective and realistic treatment for substance use disorder.

Harm reduction defined

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) states, “Harm reduction is an evidence-based approach that is critical to engaging with people who use drugs and equipping them with life-saving tools and information to create positive change in their lives and potentially save their lives.”

“Harm reduction isn’t about abstinence. It’s a practical and evolving set of strategies aimed at minimizing the risks of substance use,” says Claudy Corvil, Fraser alcohol and drug counselor. “As opposed to abstinence-only treatments, harm reduction recognizes that abstinence isn’t always achievable or the sole indicator of well-being. When programs require participants to practice abstinence, it can prevent some from seeking treatment and cause others to leave the program.”

The 12-step program has a spiritual focus — using the idea of a higher power as inspiration — which can also stop people who aren’t religious from seeking treatment.

Decreasing the spread of infectious diseases

Harm reduction uses community-driven public health strategies to empower people, including prevention, risk reduction, and health promotion. Harm reduction advocates encourage behaviors that decrease the spread of infectious diseases, including HIV, viral hepatitis and bacterial and fungal infections.

“Fraser uses a harm reduction approach that meets members where they’re at in their recovery process by emphasizing quality of life improvements over abstinence,” says Corvil.

One way harm reduction can reduce the spread of infectious diseases is through syringe services programs [SSPs]. These offer “access to and disposal of sterile syringes and injection equipment, vaccination, testing and linkage to infectious disease care and substance use treatment.”  The CDC states, “Research shows that new users of SSPs are five times more likely to enter drug treatment and about three times more likely to stop using drugs than those who don't use the programs.” In other words, people who use SSPs are much more likely to quit using drugs.

Preventing overdose deaths

Harm reduction also helps reduce overdose deaths, which is a critically important health issue. SAMHSA states, “The U.S. is experiencing the most significant substance use and overdose epidemic it has ever faced, exacerbated by the recent worldwide pandemic, and driven by the proliferation of highly potent synthetic opioids (containing fentanyl or fentanyl analogs) and animal tranquilizers (like xylazine) into many types of drugs (including stimulants and counterfeit prescription pills). There were more than 100,000 drug-involved overdose deaths in 2023.”

Distributing and educating people about the use of overdose reversal medications is one way to prevent overdose deaths. In the Fraser Substance Use Disorder services, counselors distribute opioid overdose reversal medications, like naloxone, to individuals at risk of overdose, or to those who are likely to respond to an overdose.

Reducing the stigma

“There is a myth that addiction only happens to certain kinds of people,” says Corvil. “The reality is addiction can happen to anyone, no matter their race, upbringing, personality type or grade point average. There are genetic, social and psychological risk factors that can put some people at greater risk — but addiction has nothing to do with a person’s character.”

The harm reduction approach also focuses on reducing the stigma associated with substance use and co-occurring disorders. One way drug and alcohol counselors do that is through education and support. Many counselors have lived experience, so they can model what meaningful change can look like. Fraser drug and alcohol counselors also help promote hope and healing through individual sessions, group education, group counseling and assessments.

If you’d like to pursue Fraser SUD services, you can call 612-767-7222 to set up a SUD comprehensive assessment. A SUD comprehensive assessment usually takes from 1 ½ -2 hours.

Fraser offers two SUD outpatient treatment options. The intensive outpatient treatment option meets for group therapy 3 days a week, and the individual also has 1 private individual session each week. The less-intensive treatment option meets for group therapy 1 day a week. Both sessions are available in person or through telehealth.