Originally Posted by
mjs 
there is a book titled over the influence that details harm reduction techniques and hrt has shown promise in certain situations that alera referred too (hiv prevention/drunk driving/od prevention). I was not able to apply it and had gotten to the point where I was having my wife handcuff/chain my one hand to a lolly column(the steel posts that hold up your house if it has a basement)where I could still reach the bathroom b4 i started drinking. When I broke my hand trying to get out one night that was that. My next plan found me designing a 4 point restraint system combined with a delivery system for booze. When she discovered my latest harm reduction technique she said thats it...no more alcoholic engineering for you...either get help or get out...I got help but I was so trapped in my addiction I still had to think about it...jeesh
Great post! It shows the plus and minus of hrt.
hrt works best for certain populations.
Its more for those who are going to use anyway to reduce the risks such as HIV with those who shoot up drugs or those who will drink and drive. For example, I know an recovering alcoholic who simply gave the keys to her roommate when she got up to go to the fridge to get her first beer. In my home, we participate in HRT. You enter my house with alcohol on your breath and I'll let you have a couple hours of free reign with my DVD collection.
There is a program in New York that participates in needle exchange but also encourages IV drug users to place others who have OD'd in a certain physical position to keep the airway open and then call EMS. They even explain how you can call 911 without being caught. This is very sad, but the truth is many drug users will abuse no matter what, and they will not take care of their friends if they think they risk going to jail. In many cases, they won't know the difference between a life threatening OD, so this program addresses this as well.
A great project by D.O.P.E (Drug Overdose Prevention Education project) is a simple double sided one page handout based on the Monopoly "CHANCE" card. It reminds the recipient that their body is free of dope and they are taking a big
chance if they take the same amount of drugs they were ingesting prior to incarceration. Why? Because the body has a much lower resistance. *1
Many don't like this type of leaflet, and I can totally see their reasons but the fact is a lot of people leave prison/jail and go back to shoot up the same dosage only to die (Sid Vicious anyone?)
In other cases, there are times when it is clear the person is going to use no matter what. So there will be a friend who watches to make sure the person doesn't forget and take a double dose, or keep an eye to make sure they do not suffer an unintentional overdose (the second leading cause of accidental death in the United States after car crashes)*2.
HRT is close to my heart after taking a course on severe and persistent mental illness. The teacher had led the course with a lot of experience (worked with a state mental health hospital prior to the closing to give those leaving tools to function in the real world). He explained the course in depth and discussed the HRT options.
1 Harm Reduction Coalition - OD Prevention
Harm Reduction Coalition : HRC Resources: OD Prevention
2 Center of Disease Control
Unintentional Poisoning Deaths --- United States, 1999--2004
"Effective response to increasing fatal drug overdoses requires strengthening regulatory measures to reduce unsafe use of drugs"