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OKAY.
obsessed with this person who thinks that im monopolizing the notes industry and taking them away from “real artists.” like. hello
Advice if you love/care about an addict but they’re not ready for abstinence. This is meeting people where they’re at- the most important part of harm reduction
suboxone and methadone are treatment drugs for opioid withdrawal symptoms btw! they’re meant to be a kind of transitional drug for people who want to quit but don’t want to suffer through the cold turkey method, which a lot of harm reduction advocates see as needlessly difficult and cruel
Start of video transcript.
Hi, my name is Courtney and I’m a harm reduction worker in the South Bronx.
So, someone basically asked me what to do when they love somebody in their life who’s in active addiction. They don’t want to lose this person, but this person is not ready to get clean yet and they don’t know what to do to help them. And I want to tell you guys about what we do in harm reduction and an individual centered approach.
So, the most important part of harm reduction is meeting people where they’re at, and we do a person-centered approach which means our cases, for each individual, is going to be completely different because each individual experiencing addiction is completely different.
For some people, forced treatment may help them, but it’s still a punitive measure and we don’t want to force people into treatment because, for a lot of people, it ends up being traumatic and you don’t get the results they want if they’re not ready to get clean and they don’t want to get clean.
And, by the way, that’s okay for them to not want to get clean yet, or not be ready. They’re on their own timeline and their own journey.
So, I’m going to make up a hypothetical person so you guys can understand what meeting someone where they’re at basically means. So say I’m working in harm reduction, we have someone new come in, and I do an intake. They say that they shoot heroine and Fentanyl about eight times a day, they’re an IV user, they’re houseless, and they’re not on any form of MAT or anything like that, in any program.
I can ask them what they want to gain from coming from the harm reduction center like, “What is your goal? You obviously came here for an intention.” A lot of times it’ll be like clean syringes or Fentanyl testing strips or they want to store their syringes and exchange them properly–something like that.
So, we can make a goal for them to start using clean syringes every time they use. And that is a major goal to achieve. So, we set that goal. Then, say they come back in two weeks, and they’ve been using clean syringes every time they use. They’re still using, but they’re using clean syringes which is way safer than what they were doing before. And that’s an amazing goal and we celebrate them achieving that goal. We don’t shame or stigmatize their use, it’s okay.
So, then, since they achieve that goal, I could be like, “Okay, so you want to achieve another goal? Let’s get you on, maybe, maintenance, MAT, if they’re ready.” So they join a Methadone program. And they’re still using, but they’re only using two times a day now, they’re using clean syringes, and they’re on maintenance, they’re on Methadone. So, that is a huge achievement, and if they achieve that goal, that is something to be celebrated, like that is harm reduction and meeting someone where they’re at.
So, when this case first came in, think about it, they were using eight times a day; they were using dirty syringes which is a risk for HIV, Hep C, and infections; and, you know, they weren’t on maintenance, all this stuff.
Now they’re only using two times a day, they’re using clean syringes, they’re disposing of them properly, and they’re on maintenance. That’s an amazing achievement in itself, so we celebrate that.
Then say they’re ready to get housing because housing is a form of harm reduction. I can get them into a shelter, maybe an apartment, or we could work something out depending on the individual and what they’re, you know, accessible, what’s accessible to them.
So, they go from being houseless to being in a shelter, only using two times a day, being on maintenance, and using clean syringes. That, in itself, is an amazing achievement. So, they didn’t stop use, they didn’t get totally “clean,” they’re not totally “abstinent,” but they’re using in a way safer way than they were before.
And you might think that’s not an achievement, “Oh my g-d, they only achieve this much.” But to anybody else, this is a huge achievement and this is something that should be celebrated.
Then, one day, say they’re ready to come in and they’re like, “Yeah, I want to get on Suboxone, I want to stop using completely or I want to go to detox.” Then we can help them with that as well.
It all depends on the individual and the person themselves and meeting them where they’re at.
So, if someone you love is using and you know they’re using and you want to help them, don’t help them in a stigmatized way. Don’t stigmatize their drug use, don’t shame them, don’t force them to get clean. That is basically not helping in any type of way. And I know your intentions are probably good, but the outcome is not always good.
So, try giving them Fentanyl testing strips, try giving them access to clean syringes, try hooking them up with harm reduction centers. Try anything you can. AA, NA, I mean I’m not big fans of AA or NA, but it works for some people. Anything you can.
But meet that individual where they’re at and be prepared for what that individual is ready for and do it on their timeline. That’s the most important part.
And I hope that this explains it well, I know it’s a really long video, I’m sorry, but I’m just trying my best to explain a really complicated matter in as short and simple as possible. I hope it helps.
End video transcript.
At the end of the video, Courtney @court0o0 shares a yellow sign from Anyone’s Child, a campaign seeking change in drug policy. The sign says, “End the drug war.”
art tips that actually help. tracing pictures is fine. try not to shade with black. draw as much as you can all the time and make it shitty im so serious. dont buy expensive materials its not worth it. never post your art to tiktok. raise your commission prices. sparkle on be yourself
(guy who hasnt paid attention in class for the last three weeks and now has no idea whats going on) been really into the idea of running through my schools brick walls and not stopping till im a billion miles away lately
Owls confirmed to be the creepiest birds ever. LOOK AT THE FUCKING THINGS. If you fail to notice the one on the left fucking SWALLOWING a rat, then you have the dude singing some satanic chant or something next to him, and then you have those two other fucking psychos synchronized to make you feel creeped the fuck out with their soulless dance of FUCKING DOOM.
I really am tempted to reblog this every time it’s on my dash. That description is one of the best things on the internet.
Yeahhhh, I want this on my blog again.
OMG MY FAVORITE TUMBLR POST EVER IT’S FINALLY BACK YAY!
Here, have another of my all-time favorite Tumblr posts.
We were just discussing this again and I had to reblog it again because IT IS MY FAVORITE
I’m permanently traumatized that you introduced me to this over lunch, EGT.
::bows with a flourish::
There’s a gif out there of some people reenacting this that makes me laugh til I puke every damn time.