Definition
Harm reduction for injection drug users (IDUs) refers to programs designed to reduce or minimize negative health consequences related to substance use among IDUs without the expectation of substance use abstinence. Harm reduction arose as a response to emerging HIV epidemics driven by injection drug use in the mid- to late 1980s. The goal of harm reduction is to reduce individual- and societal-level harms that can result from drug use rather than focusing on stopping drug use altogether. Some harm reduction programs focus on reducing the amount and frequency of drugs used with the eventual goal of abstinence. However, the vast majority of harm reduction programming focuses on the reduction of physical harm to the individual injector, their immediate social network, and the public as a whole, particularly in reducing the transmission of HIV and other infectious diseases. Because the harm reduction approach in dealing with substance use is nontraditional, implementation of...
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Kuo, I., Phillips, G. (2014). Harm Reduction for Injection Drug Users. In: Hope, T., Stevenson, M., Richman, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of AIDS. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9610-6_110-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9610-6_110-1
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