The United States is currently grappling with an opioid and fentanyl crisis, marked by a sharp rise in overdose fatalities among drug users. This epidemic is particularly prevalent in suburban and rural areas that lack harm reduction services.

The current challenges for harm reduction involves the expansion of services to these heavily affected and underserved areas. Most importantly, continued education is needed to reduce the stigma of people who use drugs (PWUD).

Language Matters

Labels like “addict,” “manipulative,” “mentally ill,” etc., are extremely stigmatizing and have been proven to be barriers to treatment. Person-centered language uses terms like “person with substance use disorder” instead of “addict,” “testing positive/negative” instead of “clean” or “dirty” for drug screening, and “recurrence of use” instead of “relapse.” Instead of “maintenance therapy”, saying someone is “replacing one drug for another,” person-centered language uses “medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD)” or “opioid agonist therapy.” “Substance use disorder” can cover a wide variety of substances (including alcohol) as well as the severity of use.

Person-centered language puts people first, meaning it recognizes that before someone is a label, they are an individual worthy of dignity and respect. They are defined by more than their substance use, mental illness, or physical disability. They are an individual who possesses unique abilities and strengths.

The MSBH Harm Reduction program focuses on reducing the harmful outcomes that can affect People Who Use Drugs (PWUD). Harm Reduction is an evidence-based approach that is crucial to involving people who use drugs and their families. We focus on empowering people by allowing them to make informed and educated decisions about their lives and drug use while providing life saving resources to people who use drugs.

These life saving resources include, Naloxone, Fentanyl and Xylazine test strips to prevent fatal overdoses. Safe Sex kits protect and prevent sexually transmitted diseases and infections such as HIV, Hep C, and Herpes. Wound  care kits are also available and help prevent life threatening infections that may affect those who inject drugs. By offering these services and more we are also able to connect one on one with the individual and provide them with other resources they might not otherwise have access to. When we offer Harm Reduction choices, we’re offering individuals the chance to take their life back from drug use one choice at a time.