Drug users: the success of harm reduction (RR)

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AIDES Dax - Accueil par Mickaël dans le camping-car du programme d'échange de seringues
Daniel Hérard / © Daniel Hérard Drug users: the success of harm reduction (RR)

Users of psycho-active drugs are often marginalized, which means that they have even greater difficult in gaining access to prevention programmes.

RR, or harm reduction, is an adapted, non-discriminating approach for drug users. It avoids any sort of moralistic approach to people and relies on trust and confidentiality to ensure that its prevention messages are heard and accepted. It aims to mobilise people so that they pass the message on within the group.

RR is a prioritised presentation of the possibilities users have for reducing the risk of contamination: knowing the products and how harmful they are, not sharing a syringe, disinfecting a used syringe, how to disinfect it… It also puts the individual in touch with organisations that could help them to re-integrate and gain access to substitution treatments and psychological care and, if he wishes, to get away from drug addiction.

The police are also made aware so that the people who come to the association remain anonymous. In just a few years, RR has reduced HIV contamination rates spectacularly amongst intravenous drug users.