...Prohibition and Harm Reduction Bryon Wilson BEHS 364 August 5th 2014 There have been two different strategies of society dealing with alcohol; harm reduction and zero tolerance. The method of harm reduction is focused primarily on reducing the negative effect of alcohol society and the people who drink. This is usually implemented by our government. They create policies and social programs that can treat those afflicted with alcoholism. There are several ways that this can be accomplished, such as limiting access, and taxing the substance to reduce demand. There are also social programs put in place that can help educate, rehabilitate and help recover. This a strategy compared to zero tolerance carries a unique ability to be tailored to suit individual needs as opposed to a one size fits all blanket policy. The harm reduction policy stands on a principle that alcoholism will not be completely eliminated so it would be more benefit to address the negative harms. For instance as alcoholism can be a major problem at work, some companies provide someone as an advocate and counsel. These counselors can work with them to modify behavior and reduce alcohol related incidents and further harm to their self on the job and in their personal life. That is something prohibition policies cannot do for an individual person. The proponents of zero tolerance see the alcoholic epidemic as a disease and therefore cannot allow continued usage if the person is to be treated and recover. It...
Words: 902 - Pages: 4
...How effective have harm reduction interventions been in reduction of Hepatitis C incidence among Injecting Drug Users in the UK? 1.0 Introduction The prevalence of Hepatitis C (HCV) internationally is largely unknown mainly due to the fact that most individuals have no symptoms in the early stages of the infection. The WHO estimates the figure at 170 million people infected with HCV and it is estimated that approximately 3-4 million people are newly infected each year . Injecting drug users (IDUs) are at greatest risk from HCV through the sharing of injecting paraphernalia. In the UK estimates from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) data has the number of people chronically infected with HCV at 216000 of which 90% are attributable to IDUs with over 40% of the IDU population being HCV antibody positive . Some estimates of numbers with HCV in the UK suggest about 500000 . In 2010, new HCV infections diagnosed in the UK was 10,381 of which there were 7384, 106, 2129, and 312 in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales respectively . There appears to be higher rate of transmission among IDU now than a decade ago; 23% compared to 12% in 2000 Although UK is classified as a low prevalence country for HCV; The HCV poses numerous challenges for public health in terms of potentially preventable mortality and morbidity. According to NICE guidance, it would cost the NHS about £1.6 billion to treat all Hepatitis C patients. The cost therefore of failing to diagnose and...
Words: 4151 - Pages: 17
...Harm Reduction Harm Reduction Harm reduction refers to policies, programmers and practices that aim to reduce the harms associated with the use of psychoactive drugs in people unable or unwilling to stop. The defining features are the focus on the prevention of harm, rather than on the prevention of drug use itself, and the focus on people who continue to use drugs. Harm reduction began to be discussed frequently after the threat of HIV spreading among and from injecting drug users was first recognized. However, similar approaches have long been used in many other contexts for a wide range of drugs. Harm reduction complements approaches that seek to prevent or reduce the overall level of drug consumption. It is based on the recognition that many people throughout the world continue to use psychoactive drugs despite even the strongest efforts to prevent the initiation or continued use of drugs. Harm reduction accepts that many people who use drugs are unable or unwilling to stop using drugs at any given time. Access to good treatment is important for people with drug problems, but many people with drug problems are unable or unwilling to get treatment. Furthermore, the majority of people who use drugs do not need treatment. There is a need to provide people who use drugs with options that help to minimize risks from continuing to use drugs, and of harming themselves or others...
Words: 553 - Pages: 3
...Task Research and analyse debates on the current 'war against drugs' and its success or otherwise, globally and/or locally. Explain the debate and present an argument, supported by evidence, for either the continuation of a 'war against drugs' or for an alternative. Introduction The use of prohibited drugs has been predominant in Western society since the 19th century, with cannabis introduced to the United States in 1839, while opium was introduced to Europe and the United States through trade with China. These drugs were initially used for pharmaceutical benefits, but over time various legislatures introduced laws to administer, regulate and prohibit the use of various drugs. The declaration of ‘war on drugs’ took place in the United States of America (USA) in 1971. The historical response to the ‘war on drugs’ has been prohibition: the complete banning of drug use. This approach, which involves strict enforcement of illegal drug laws, has proven costly and ineffective (RCAP & RANZCP, 2004). This essay will focus on Australia’s current drug debate regarding the legalisation of certain prohibited illicit drugs. Whilst examining the Australian position, this essay will use international examples to illustrate how the current strategy fails and survey workable solutions. Firstly, this work examines the historical position of the ‘war on drugs’. It will outline the history of drug use in Australia and the nation’s current drug policy. This essay will then discuss the criminal...
Words: 2641 - Pages: 11
...Kennedy House Youth Shelter Services * Directed to the website when asked for the mission of Kennedy House Youth Shelter; “To enable youth to grow as individuals to contribute as members of the community. This is achieved in our residential and community based programs by providing customized support and building trusting relationships” (Kennedy House Youth Services, 2009). * Main target is homeless youth between the ages of 16-25 one day less a day; they can come in daily from their 16th birthday and stay up until their 25th birthday (Rosenthal, 2015). * This service is self-directed according to Rosenthal (2015) residents have the option to choose whether they come to the shelter unless there is a ban. This service uses a harm reduction approach; staff consider client-staff relationship a key factor when working with youth. * According to James Rosenthal community is seen as an active partnership with immediate community members (Rosenthal, 2015). Kennedy House works towards addressing programs in the community with a zero tolerance for youth who break the policies of the agency. * When speaking with Rosenthal he explained that Kennedy House has a strong relationship with other existing community agency friends such as ACE, public health, and Toronto Community Housing. * The few disadvantages of this program according to Rosenthal (2015) is housing where we see the long waiting list, transportation for youth who are homeless because they can’t afford fair...
Words: 1051 - Pages: 5
...What is harm reduction? Harm reduction is based on a strong commitment to public health and human rights (What is harm reduction? 33-34). People often think harm reduction is primarily for drug users, but they’re wrong. Harm reduction has three broad avenues of change: safety, moderation, and abstinence (Little 2015). Which also ties in with the harm that people go through when having “survival sex” these two forms of survival can be useful in people's lives. Harm reduction is a public health strategy that was developed initially for adults with substance abuse problems for whom abstinence was not feasible. Harm reduction approaches have been effective in reducing morbidity and mortality in these adult population. In recent years, harm reduction has been successfully applied to sexual health education in an attempt to reduce both teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, including...
Words: 555 - Pages: 3
...During my rural-public health hours, I was able to experience several different opportunities. For one, I was able to go to a Crossroads Advisory meeting, which was definitely interesting due to me never having experience with this organization. The other thing I was able to do was learn about Harm Reduction Programs, while also going to a commissioner meeting in order to determine if a Harm Reduction Program would be implemented in Alamosa. They had been working towards this goal for some time, and it was finally approved. I feel like these meetings were primary and tertiary prevention. Primary prevention is due to them hoping to prevent stuff, while tertiary due to treating the problems that are already there. One of the biggest things that went right was all the knowledge gained by going to both. With the Crossroads Advisory board meeting, I learned more about the drug problems in the San Luis Valley. Plus I learned more about the program and the different levels people were able to reach. Then for the Harm Reduction program, at first, I had no idea what it even was. A Harm Reduction program focuses on a needle exchange program; the people will bring their used needles in and get new ones. This would help reduce Hepatitis C from spreading, and the program has shown to be successful in different states. The...
Words: 505 - Pages: 3
...IT Internship AT NEW YORK HARM REDUCTION EDUCATORS (NYHRE) name SUMMARY OF IT INTERNSHIP 2015 On September 2015; I was hired to do an internship at New York Harm Reduction Educators. This internship provided me with the different technical experiences that I will apply in the IT field. I was working in several areas such as IT maintenance, helpdesk, data entry and Server monitoring. I gained so much knowledge in those areas that I will be well prepared to work at any organization in a near future. Advantages and Disadvantages of Participating in an Internship Internship has helped me to gain: I. Practical experience such as data entry, server monitoring, IT maintenance to computers and offering of help desk services. II. The internship has also helped me to gain confidence and I can now work in any organization. III. The internship has also enabled to develop positive attitude towards my career . The disadvantages of participating the interview in this organization were: I. Time was limited and should it have been extended I should have learnt many more things. II. The organization did not offer monthly stipend. Important Things I Overcame During Internship The most important things I overcame during Interview is fear and I was in a position to interact with the organization’s staffs, ask them questions and seek clarifications incase I got confused. The other thing I managed to overcame is working slowly as I was required to provide a solution within...
Words: 282 - Pages: 2
...Self- Mutilation There are a number of different ways to define what self-mutilation entails. It is one of the most commonly used phrases, but researchers and mental health professionals have not been able to agree on one specific definition to explain self-inflicted injury. Hence, self-harm, self-injury and self-mutilation are the common phrases used to refer to this type of behavior ( Zila & Kiselica, 2001). Many people tend to associate self mutilation with suicide, when in fact they are very different. Therefore, when attempting to understand self-mutilation it is important to recognize the distinct differences between self mutilation and suicide. Suicide is an attempt to depart from pain through ending one’s life. While self mutilation is an effort to create relief from a negative affective incident, it differs for each person. It is used as a means for a person to temporarily deal with the pain, rather than abort it all together. In suicidal patients, pain is viewed as everlasting, which makes them feel hopeless. While, on the other hand self-injurers often portray an optimistic attitude (Walsh, 2006). Hence, there is a big difference between the behaviors and intent, which is why it is important to recognize these differences. Self-injurious behavior tends to be separated into two general categories: culturally sanctioned and deviant self mutilation. Culturally sanctioned rituals and practices comprise of ear piercing in the modern U.S culture, sacrament dances amongst...
Words: 4265 - Pages: 18
...reality, or your own version of it. The things we experience truly change you as a person. My experiences that I overcame motivate me and inspire me to change and succeed in life. Self-injury can be defined as the attempt to purposely cause harm to one's self and the injury is usually severe enough to cause physical damage. Self-harm can be considered a cry for attention by some people, a plea for anyone around to see that you aren’t alright. For me it was, and yet at the same time it wasn’t. I’ve done these things for my own personal reasons like self-hatred, pressure and the loneliness I felt. The feeling that no one understands you or even cares plays a big factor. Self-harm is a broad title and can be categorized into many different things. Cutting, also known as, self-mutilation was the one I fell into. I sometimes felt victimized. I was born into a society where everything I saw, every influence of culture or fashion, made me want to change myself but not for the right reasons. Cutting was something I had been doing for a while, and the issue of it never really hit me until my sophomore year of high school. That was the moment I went from rock bottom to the road of recovery. The things we experience shape you into who you are. Self-harm shaped the way I think of things now . When I first started receiving help from my teacher, I thought that there was no way any of this would help, but it did. I began to open up more and reveal the reasons behind my actions. I began to reflect...
Words: 592 - Pages: 3
...When reviewing and discussing Williams situation from the perspective of traditional psychology, I can't help but be focused first, on improving the problems that exist in Williams daily life that cause him to feel that his life is pointless. In Williams' case just from the reading, it would be safe to say that William needs help in improving these symptoms. According to the reading, William suffers from many different symptoms. These symptoms include rarely seeing his two daughter due to a divorce, having issues with weight gain, and his appearance-which have caused decreased energy with no motivation to fix it on his own, he suffers from the lack of sleep due to worries about business problems, along with no social life outside of work. To top it all William has just recently been diagnosed with high blood pressure. As you can see William is at a very low point in his life and if I had to be the one to diagnose William, I would say that William suffers from a major depressive disorder along with an anxiety disorder. In my recommendations, I feel that it would be in Williams best interest if he were treated for his problems with some intensive therapy for his personal issues that he is battling along with some medication for the anxiety and sleepless nights. I further feel that maybe William could try some over the counter vitamins for his lack of energy. In doing so, I feel that William will begin to feel a lot more self-sufficient in his social life as well as his...
Words: 267 - Pages: 2
...Aniyah Isham Med Pro 1 Ms. Mangan 5/12/2015 “Counselors to be at Corona Del Sol After Suicide” In the authors’ article, Counselors to be at Corona Del Sol After Suicide, they argue that kids in today’s society need to talk to people about their problems I order to get help for depression. The article also talks mostly about how a kid (Marcus Wheeler) from Corona committed suicide in the middle of school. They claim that kids need to talk about their sadness because you may never know if someone is feeling depressed or not. The authors support this claim by first stating that that the Marcus was seen by his peers as a happy and very likeable person. Then, another way the authors developed this claim is by affirming that one of his friends that saw him the morning he committed suicide, stated that Wheeler seemed fine that morning and didn’t look distraught. And finally, the authors’ purpose is to get family and friends to start to get kids to express how they feel. This will allow them to talk about their feelings without them being startled in order to prevent these suicides. They establish a critical yet formal tone for those that are having suicide thoughts or that are battling day-to-day with depression. This work is significant because it is a big deal that is happening in my community. This article is very relevant since I also know and have friends that deal with the same issues. I agree with mostly every part of this article and it was very interesting reading it compared...
Words: 283 - Pages: 2
...Psychology Name Course Tutor Institution Psychology Discuss the rationale why each disorder applies to the patient and each AXIS that goes with each disorder. Signs and symptoms indicate that Smith is suffering from clinical disorders. All the signs and symptoms she is positive and hence indicating that she is suffering from adjustment disorder, bipolar disorder, eating disorder, major depressive disorder, borderline personality disorder and the acute stress disorder. She suffered from some form of mental retardation when she was young, mainly when her mother was harsh. She could be pushed around and forced to babysit her younger sister and brother. She argued out that her mother was both physically and emotionally abusive. Everything was messed up and this actually affected her judgment and thing and that is when she started drinking. Smith’s condition was elevated by drug abuse. The use of recreational drugs and drinking added onto the psychological problems she had. Drinking and doing drugs are known to affect and individuals thinking and judgment. A person with sound and sober mind would not use a straight-edged razor to cut herself. This indicates that she had a lot of psychological issues. Her situation worsened when she attempted suicide by taking another person’s prescription medication. Smith went back to drugs after recovering rather than adhering to her outpatient counseling. The environment that Smith was living in contributed a lot to her situation....
Words: 1511 - Pages: 7
...Criminal Case Case: R v Gittany Facts: Lisa Cecilia Harnum’s body fell from her shared high-rise apartment in the Sydney CBD minutes after trying to leave her abusive fiancé Simon Gittany. Gittany has had a dark past being associated with violence, drugs, having an uncontrollable temper and committing several criminal offences which included biting off parts of a policemen’s ear and selling cocaine. Gittany claims Harnum either slipped or deliberately fell to her death. Gittany had ‘bugged’ Harnum’s cell phone reading all her text messages and emails as well as listening to all her calls. When he discovered his fiancé was seeing a councillor he physically threatened her that if she saw his fiancé again he will “harm [her].” The day of Harnum’s...
Words: 1024 - Pages: 5
...Oeriew International cooperation at a crossroads Aid, trade and security in an unequal world Every hour more than 1,200 children die away from the glare of media attention The year 2004 ended with an event that demonstrated the destructive power of nature and the regenerative power of human compassion. The tsunami that swept across the Indian Ocean left some 300,000 people dead. Millions more were left homeless. Within days of the tsunami, one of the worst natural disasters in recent history had given rise to the world’s greatest international relief effort, showing what can be achieved through global solidarity when the international community commits itself to a great endeavour. The tsunami was a highly visible, unpredictable and largely unpreventable tragedy. Other tragedies are less visible, monotonously predictable and readily preventable. Every hour more than 1,200 children die away from the glare of media attention. This is equivalent to three tsunamis a month, every month, hitting the world’s most vulnerable citizens—its children. The causes of death will vary, but the overwhelming majority can be traced to a single pathology: poverty. Unlike the tsunami, that pathology is preventable. With today’s technology, financial resources and accumulated knowledge, the world has the capacity to overcome extreme deprivation. Yet as an international community we allow poverty to destroy lives on a scale that dwarfs the impact of the tsunami. Five years ago, at the start...
Words: 9550 - Pages: 39
