Reducing harm from alcohol and other drug use

For people who use illicit drugs or misuse pharmaceutical medications, stopping is not simple. Harm reduction is about finding ways to reduce the negative impacts of ongoing use. Harm reduction initiatives are aimed at people who continue their drug use despite negative consequences, which can include:

• Overdose.
• Relationship breakdowns and isolation.
• Ongoing health issues.
• Unemployment.
• Involvement in the criminal justice system.

Harm reduction strategies are evidence-based public health approaches that focus on benefiting the individual, the people around them and the broader community.

Examples of harm reduction initiatives#

Common harm reduction initiatives include needle and syringe programs, opioid pharmacotherapy treatment, peer education programs, diversion programs and caution schemes, outreach services, and supervised injecting facilities.

Needle and syringe programs#

Needle and syringe programs provide people who inject drugs with access to sterile injecting equipment, often through pharmacies and community health services.

Easy access to clean needles, syringes and injecting equipment reduces the chance of transmitting blood-borne viruses such as HIV and hepatitis C. These programs also create opportunities to give people information on how to look after their health and wellbeing and to help them access appropriate drug treatment and other health services.

Opioid pharmacotherapy treatment#

“Pharmacotherapy” is the term used to describe the use of medication (such as methadone or buprenorphine) to assist in the treatment of opioid dependence, most commonly caused by heroin use.

Taken on a daily basis, these medications help by managing physical drug dependence, drug craving and compulsive drug use. Treatment is provided by community-based doctors, who provide clinical care and prescriptions, and community pharmacies, which dispense the medication.

Peer education programs#

Peer education programs are targeted to specific population groups, such as young people, people who inject drugs, or particular cultural groups. Community members are trained and supported to educate their peers on safer ways to use drugs or to reduce the negative consequences of their drug use.

Generally, people are very receptive to harm reduction education from their peers and are more likely to take that advice on board. Peer education programs are also particularly effective at getting harm reduction messages to people who are not usually engaged with mainstream health or social services, which makes them highly effective for communicating health promotion and harm reduction messaging.

Diversion programs#

Many people commit crime to support their drug dependence, so many people who use illicit drugs end up with a criminal record. Diversion programs offer drug treatment to people who commit less serious offences that are directly associated with their drug use. This type of program helps people avoid a criminal record and gives them the opportunity for treatment.

Key points#

• Harm reduction is about reducing the negative impacts of ongoing drug use for people for whom stopping is not simple.
• Opioid pharmacotherapy uses medication to help manage opioid dependence, most commonly caused by heroin use.
• Diversion programs offer drug treatment to people who commit less serious offences directly associated with their drug use.
• These programs help people avoid a criminal record and give them the opportunity for treatment.

Where to get help#