Just curious, and please don’t take it the wrong way, but I kinda don’t understand why giving harm reduction advice is restricted to the Seeking Help category on TalkingSober? I just don’t understand it fully and would like to get some inputs on why it’s restricted like that, thanks
Basically, one of my posts were edited to remove some harm reduction advice I was just trying to give to someone who seemed like they needed it, since they seemed to be in the very very early stages of recovery, like when you’re most likely to relapse and whatnot. I wasn’t trying to promote drug use or anything. It seems that the person’s relapses were damaging them already, like even though they were only a few months into their addiction, due to a lack of harm reduction techniques I feel like, and I just wanted to give them some techniques for in case of the unfortunate event of a relapse to minimize the damage to their body.
In my opinion anyway, I feel like harm reduction is an important part of addiction recovery. Like if you were to unfortunately relapse, you need to know what things you can do to reduce the harm from the relapse at the very least. Obviously it’s ideal to simply not relapse, but this isn’t always what happens in early recovery depending on the person and such. It’s the reality that very early sobriety is a volatile period in recovery in my opinion.
I hope this isn’t taken the wrong way. I just don’t fully understand why harm reduction is restricted to the Seeking Help category like that.
Not all new members know to go to Seeking Help for harm reduction advice I feel like. Maybe I’m thinking of this problem too much in the way we think about problems in software engineering. In software engineering it’s important to accommodate the end user of the software, like you don’t necessarily wanna have to tell them how exactly to use your software. You want it to be as intuitive as possible usually. Like where the end user’s/stakeholder’s way of using your software comes first. I don’t know if this paragraph makes sense, but hopefully you get what I’m trying to say.
I’m guessing it’s restricted because it can be triggering to some members or something? I’m just trying to understand it, thanks.
There’s you answer!
This is a sobriety based forum, not a harm reduction forum. But we have found over time that people do seek advice on harm reduction or moderation, therfore we made the seeking help space available for those discussions.
Ah okay that makes sense, thanks Yeah tbh with that harm reduction post I made in the other thread, I was worrying a little bit if it was triggering to other members or not, but at the time I kinda brushed it off as “nah” because information like that wouldn’t make me wanna relapse personally, but everyone is different for sure. So I’ll definitely keep it in mind thanks
Normally, a post like that would be flagged and removed but I thought you had some good advice for the OP and chose to edit instead. On the main forum, our goal is to live in the solution and share what’s helped us to get and stay clean and sober.
I tried harm reduction multiple times and it never worked for me for more than a couple days and took hard work, I tried the Sinclair method for a year, tried this and tried that to reduce use, it also took a while to realise for me it’s all or nothing
I feel as though you were thinking of harm reduction as a way to continue using drugs back then, as if it was a solution to addiction. Harm reduction is NOT a solution to continue using drugs. It’s simply there to minimize the damage to yourself from using drugs.
Like for example, let’s say you are in active addiction and injecting heroin. Knowing not to share needles can help prevent you from getting HIV and other blood-bourne diseases. That is an example of a harm reduction technique. It is not there to justify or continue using drugs. When you’re in active addiction, you need to be aware of harm reduction techniques and practice them, while trying to get off the drugs immediately in my opinion.
Piggybacking on what Lisa said, if you ever have a question about an action a mod has taken PLEASE just ask us! We are here to help both individually and community wide. And because you and many others are newer members, you may not have seen the discussions around creating these spaces like Seeking Help as a category to have discussions like these. I encourage anyone who has questions about how the forum operates, about the rules or otherwise to send a message to @moderators. Remember, folks, tagging @moderators in a thread or a post doesn’t work, it only works in a PM. You can tag individual mods, just not the group. Thanks! And thanks for all the participation lately @john_connor1337 you really are diving deep and it shows.
Wait my bad, I just reread your message. Yeah I agree with the inability to moderate a drug. I’m definitely like that as well. No way I’d ever be able to moderate my drug of choice. I definitely agree with you there
This is so true. In my earlier days and weeks of sobriety, I had some times of real, obvious clarity that I was done drinking. Done! But when life got hard, and I knew I didn’t want to drink, my mind served me a few thoughts of “hey, why don’t you try edibles? cannabis was never your thing, so it’s not like you’ll get addicted…”
But you know what? The drink/drug/behaviour isn’t the issue - my addiction and addictive tendencies are.
When I read about people wanting to get sober from one substance or another, I’m personally grateful I know that is simply not an option for me, nor what I consider “sober”.
Just to be clear, your post prior to editing would not be allowed in seeking help either. Giving instructions and links on how to prepare a drug before use has no place on this forum. That is not considered harm reduction in the addictive sense. A person will not die if they abruptly stop using cocaine. And all the “what ifs” about a possible relapse are not necessary. The addict mind has a tendency to find excuses and we as forum members should avoid giving advice on what to do in the event of a relapse. It’s best to give advice on what to do to prevent them…
Fair enough, I was trying to give a safer way to use it that would be less damaging to the nose for in case of a relapse, but I understand now. I will refrain from giving advice like that next time. Thanks
Harm reduction absolutely has a place in the recovery community. Hell, I am a product of harm reduction in my path to sobriety. Additionally I have worked in harm reduction for almost the last 6 years. It’s my passion.
However, as mentioned, we must be careful as to how it is discussed here, if at all.
Harm reduction is essential the acceptance that people are going to use drugs and that we can educate people on how to reduce the risk. On this site abstinence is the goal.
Yeah definitely, I’ll keep that in mind for the future.
My bad yall, I hope you guys don’t hate me or something. I kinda have this feeling in the back of my head that people hate me for that stuff I posted, but maybe I’m just tripping balls over it.
Just take it as a learning opportunity and you’ll be good! Again, if you have questions in future feel free to ask us (mod team) if it’s appropriate or how best to proceed if you’re going to deviate from an abstinence only perspective. We are here to help.
Definitely one of those cases where we are making up a story in our head. No one hates you.
Being an active engaged member here has a learning curve for all of us. None of us arrive here knowing and understanding the rules and guidelines. You are getting feedback and moving forward with that new knowledge. Hopefully, it is a positive life experience.
Yeah tbh with that harm reduction post I made in the other thread, I was worrying a little bit if it was triggering to other members or not, but at the time I kinda brushed it off as “nah” because information like that wouldn’t make me wanna relapse personally, but everyone is different for sure. So I’ll definitely keep it in mind thanks 
