The Harm Reductionist

  There is HOPE "Recovery is a process. It takes time. It takes patience. It takes everything you've got."  Whether a person is new to recovery or a person has tried one or more pathways to recovery, the path to recovery is hard. No one single pathway or recovery option is for everyone. While the path of recovery may be bumpy, there is HOPE! Everyone’s journey through recovery looks different and with the endless options available to people in all stages of recovery, this can be intimidating. A person doesn’t need to take on this monumental decision alone. Peer Support Specialists offer a  range of activities, services and interactions between people who share similar experiences of being diagnosed with mental health conditions, substance use disorders, or both. By sharing their own lived experience and practical guidance, peer support workers help people to develop their own goals, create strategies for self-­‐empowerment, and take concrete steps towards building fulfill...

                                                              A Proven Technique: Harm Reduction Harm reduction is an approach that emphasizes engaging directly with people who use drugs to prevent overdose and infectious disease transmission, improve the physical, mental, and social wellbeing of those served, and offer low-threshold options for accessing substance use disorder treatment and other health care services. Harm reduction plays an important part in addressing substance use disorders through prevention, treatment, and recovery where individuals who use substances set their own goals. Harm reduction organizations incorporate a spectrum of strategies that meet people “where they are” on their own terms, and may serve as a pathway to additional prevention, treatment, and recovery services. Harm re...