Working With Drug Users

• Harm reduction strategies seek to highlight to the drug user that there are safer ways to use drugs by:
• Reducing the quantity of drugs used
• Improving the quality of drugs used
• Choosing less harmful ways of consuming drugs e.g. smoking as opposed to injecting
• Avoiding certain high risk behaviours, e.g. needle sharing [1].
 
• The success of a harm reduction strategy is measured by the change in rates in behaviour, death, disease, crime and suffering.
   
  
• Participation in syringe exchange programmes is linked to a decrease in HIV risks and a reduction in injecting risk behaviour [2].
   
  
• Syringe exchanges are effective in attracting drug users into services. 48% of attendees at the Merchants Quay Ireland syringe exchange had never previously been in contact with any drugs service [3].
   
  
• Participation in the Merchants Quay Ireland needle exchange programme is associated with a reduction in needle sharing and other injecting risk behaviour. It is also associated with reduced frequency of injecting and movement away from injecting drug use [4].
   
  
• Safe centres where drug users can take drugs are successful in reducing drug related harm according to a 2002 report from the German Health Ministry. Research shows such centres are helping to reduce the number of drug-related deaths and encouraging drug users to quit [5]. The law would need to be changed to allow such centres to operate in Ireland.
   
  
• Safer Injecting Rooms also reach marginalised drug uses such as street users and older long term users. A range of other service are usually delivered on site and referrals are made to other services linking the users into a network of services should they so wish [6].
   
  
• Research indicates that the main benefits of injecting rooms have been reduction of public nuisance (associated with drug users congregating on the streets and other public places) and improvement of health in very vulnerable and unhealthy injecting drug users [7, 8].
   
  
• Outcomes from the Research Outcome Study in Ireland (ROSIE) indicate that engagement in treatment has a positive impact on individuals in terms of physical and metal health complaints and reductions in drug use and criminal activity. This study explores three treatment types methadone maintenance/reduction, detoxification and abstinence based treatments.