Harm reduction is an approach that focuses on preventing health, legal, and social harms from drugs. Harm reduction can include exploring ways to be safer when using drugs or using services like opioid substitution therapy (OST), SMART Recovery, drug checking or needle exchange.
How could it be helpful?
Harm reduction doesn't require you to make a commitment to stop or cut down, so it can be flexible in meeting you wherever you are at. It can be a great option if you’re not sure if you want to make changes to your drug use but do want to make sure you avoid harms like accidental overdose, illness/disease or long-term damage to your body. If you are working on cutting down or quitting altogether, harm reduction approaches can help you stay safer while you make those changes.
How to access?
We have a lot of information about staying safer on our Drug information, Overdoses, and How to stay safer pages.
Our Tips to be Safer notebook is a compilation of harm reduction tips from people who use drugs in Aotearoa.
You can find more information about harm reduction here.
Real experiences
“I tried NA, I tried rehab and all sorts of stuff. But it never worked for me. I didn't fit into those places. I know heaps of people that really vibed with those things and decided to go sober. But for me harm reduction works much better for my life.”
- Anon