Reflections on Medicine & Life
As the opioid epidemic shows no signs of abating, the term “harm reduction” has entered into the lay media. We hear about mentioned in all sorts of places. It has support in conservative parts of the country. People speak of
Addiction is a chronic disease. It has a ‘lifestyle’ factors, i.e. it relies on apparently voluntary choices by its victim for its perpetuation. One can argue about how ‘voluntary’ those choices really are during different phases of the diseases. For
The opioid epidemic is not just an overdose epidemic. It is also an HIV and Hepatitis C epidemic. We need to consider all evidence-based interventions for this, no matter how they challenge our long-held beliefs about morality and addiction.