Harm Reduction Ideologies

What are the implications of harm reduction ideologies on the future of treatment for substance use disorders?
A Review of the Literature
A review of the literature reveals no clear-cut definition of harm reduction. Most experts are in agreement, however, that the primary emphasis of harm reduction strategies is to reduce the health, social, and economic consequences associated with alcohol and drug use. Implicitly or explicitly, complete abstinence is the goal of the vast majority of substance abuse service providers (MacMaster, 2004). Although harm reduction strategies value completely refraining from addictive substances, the approach embraces a wide range of goals not limited to abstinence. The harm reduction model employs strategies for extending the scope of treatment to substance users for whom abstinence oriented treatment may not be appropriate. When people are unwilling or unable to embrace abstinence, alternatives to abstinence based treatment have been shown to increase the well-being of both individuals and communities.
This literature review considers whether the practice of harm reduction strategies is a promising alternative to traditional substance abuse interventions that employ abstinence orientated strategies by addressing the following:
1. What is harm reduction?
2. Drug- and alcohol-related harms.
3. Harm reduction interventions.
4. Criticisms of harm reduction
Together, traditional substance abuse services and harm reduction approaches can be incorporated to provide a comprehensive sequence of care—from safer substance use to reduced use to maintaining total abstinence.
What is harm reduction?
A review of the literature on the term "harm reduction" reveals that no universal definition exists. The concep...

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...tice in the Addictions, 11(1), 96-100. doi: 10.1080/1533256X.2011.546205
MacMaster, S. (2004). Harm reduction: a new perspective on substance abuse services. Social Work, 49(3), 356-63. Retrieved from http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2055/docview/215270642/fulltext?accountid=7113
Pauly, B. (2008). Harm reduction through a social justice lens. International Journal of Drug Policy, 19(1), 4-10. doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2007.11.005
Rosenberg, H., & Phillips, K. T. (2003). Acceptability and availability of harm-reduction interventions for drug abuse in American substance abuse treatment agencies. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 17(3), 203-210. doi: 10.1037/0893-164X.17.3.203
Tatarsky, A. & Marlatt, G. (2010). State of the art in harm reduction psychotherapy: an emerging treatment for substance misuse. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 66(2), 117-122. doi: 10.1002/jclp.20672