Harm Reduction Counseling
Traditional approaches to substance abuse treatment have assumed that the only appropriate outcome of therapy is lifelong abstinence from all drugs and alcohol. This is based on a model which sees addiction is a disease from which one must recover.
In the real world, not every substance abuse problem is the same, and so not every problem requires the same treatment. People use alcohol and drugs for a variety of reasons, and some people develop problematic habits around substance use which interfere with their lives and the lives of those around them. Harm reduction treatment focuses on the harm caused by the drug or alcohol problem, and how to minimize that harm. Abstinence is one possible outcome among many in this model.
In the real world, not every substance abuse problem is the same, and so not every problem requires the same treatment. People use alcohol and drugs for a variety of reasons, and some people develop problematic habits around substance use which interfere with their lives and the lives of those around them. Harm reduction treatment focuses on the harm caused by the drug or alcohol problem, and how to minimize that harm. Abstinence is one possible outcome among many in this model.
