A recent survey on National Drug and Alcohol usage revealed that about 7.3 percent of the adults over 18 years old received treatment for some sort of alcohol disorder in the past year. This reveals a troubling problem as the number of users of alcohol are much higher.
Getting care for dependency on a substance or alcohol is hard. And, making the initial appointment for a treatment proves to be the most daunting part. However, most clients do not realize that alcohol treatment can be flexible. We call this method the “harm reduction model” and will be the topic of this discussion.
What is Harm Reduction?
Let us start with trying to understand the concept of Harm Reduction. The National Coalition for Harm Reduction defines it as the set of practical ideas and strategies aimed at reducing the harmful effects of drug usage. It is set to protect the rights of drug and alcohol users.
Harm reduction is aimed at concretising the commitment of people into leaving their dependency on the substance. Abstinence is often taken as the hardest part of taking recovery. It is also the prime reason why some people do not wish to opt for rehab. The approach of harm reduction allows the person to come up with a plan to use the substance in a moderate manner.
Harm Reduction for Alcohol
Alcohol is tricky for people to counter. Some of us do not even know that we are suffering from an alcohol problem. Since drinking alcohol is culturally acceptable in most communities, practicing complete abstinence can be hard.
We also see alcohol in pop culture, films, shows, books and even happy hours. For a person who is young, it is hard to cut these events out of their lives. This is where the concept of harm reduction comes in. This provides the correct incentive for people to cut alcohol out of their lives.
Harm reduction in alcohol would include discussing the problems of using in our lives and making the changes to bring a positive outlook. The success of an abuser is not measured by an “ideal” drinking mechanism such as low-levels of drinking. It is instilling the realization that prevention is catered towards reducing the chances of adverse consequences.
So, do you think harm reduction is right for you? Find out more by visiting Mallard Lake Detox.