Harm reduction: an important form of addiction recovery?

LISTEN – Death Reduction –

Oct. 14, 2020 – While there are many organizations trying to help others overcome substance abuse and addiction, USARA is unique says McMillin.

According to McMillin, USARA comes from a place where they’ve been through the struggle because their employees know addiction firsthand.

“We are a called a recovery community organization and it is run by people in recovery themselves,” McMillin said. “[We] are people with a lived experience so [we] are individuals who have had a substance abuse disorder, struggled with addiction themselves.”

And that’s what makes them so unique says McMillin. It also opens up the door to understanding the role harm reduction plays on a recovering addict.

They’re not worried about the labels of addiction according to McMillin. USARA’s goal is to be supportive and helpful in any way possible and quite often, that starts with a conversation.

“When we meet with somebody, it’s [for] the individual. We’re not sitting down saying what drugs are you using or how much are you drinking,” McMillin described. “We’re not identifying them by a label, we’re addressing them as a person.”