Harm Reduction: A New Perspective on Substance Abuse Services‪.‬

Complete abstinence from nonmedical drugs has been the goal of most substance abuse treatment in the United States. Although nonabstinence-based interventions have existed since the inception of substance abuse treatment, the harm reduction model provides a new perspective on these services. Harm reduction is increasingly used in substance abuse practice. Viewed from the perspective of the stages of change (Prochaska & DiClemente, 1982) model, strict adherence to an abstinence-only perspective is questionable. This issue is critical to all social workers, because individuals with substance abuse issues are encountered in every practice setting. This article outlines the abstinence and harm-reduction perspectives and the stages of change model and discusses how these perspectives can be integrated in social work practice in substance abuse. Examples of how these perspectives inform services provision and a discussion of the fit of harm reduction with social work ethics are also provided. Abstinence-Only Orientation