- by Andrea Donaldson

Harm reduction comes before treatment centres because there are not enough beds in any facility to accommodate the amount of active addicts there are in each town/city.

Without harm reduction there would be a lot more fatal overdoses then there are already. The stigma surrounding harm reduction is ridiculous and is just as sick as the stigma surrounding addiction in general especially if you want these people to survive and get better.

You don’t want needles laying on the streets, walking trails or your front lawns. You don’t want addicts wandering around the streets nodding off, acting out of sorts, stealing your property and dying on the streets but you are against harm reduction?!

You want all those addicts suffering to live long enough to get help from a treatment center but you don’t want them to have a safe place to use while they wait?!  What I’m hearing is you would rather they use alone and die alone. Not me though -  I want them ALL to live long enough to find recovery and a better life.

Here’s how I see it. Yes, treatment is definitely needed and more beds need to be added to the already existing treatment centres,  but that’s not going to happen as quickly as harm reduction can be set up.

Harm reduction is not enabling (there is a difference between harm reduction and enabling) -  its keeping these addicts safe and alive with medical attention until they can get into treatment.

Pick your battles - fight for what’s right or don’t - the choice is yours.

- Andrea  has been a recovering addict since July 30th, 2015

image credit: Luceo