Written By: Devin Lyall
Context and Edit By: Amanda Hooper
Last year, amid a global pandemic, Wilkes Recovery Revolution, Inc. Launched its own standalone syringe exchange program called Wilkes Harm Reduction Collective. The mission was simple… reduce harms for people who use drugs, supporting our organization’s mission of creating a community where recovery is possible through restoring hope, repairing lives, and rebuilding community. To tell you why we created the program, I must take you back a little.
Several years back, after starting work as a peer support specialist with lived experience, I quickly realized, while working and sitting across from people in meetings, that what we were doing was not enough. I would see participants and people in the recovery community relapse, and because of shame and isolation, many would die. Something had to be done, not only for them, but for people like me. I am an individual who, as a former IV drug user, contracted Hepatitis C, and as a result, I acquired many medical bills during early recovery trying to repair the damage from my past drug use.
People did not talk about harm reduction when I was in the grip of addiction. Those of us who were using drugs practiced harm reduction to the best of our abilities, trying to survive, but at a community level, where the help must come from, it was not something we heard talked about in Wilkes County, NC. Honestly, addiction in general was a topic that made people uncomfortable.
The term Harm Reduction refers to a set of policies, programs, and practices that allow individuals to minimize risks associated with specific behaviors. Harm Reduction is often associated with drug use, but it can also refer to alcohol use, tobacco use, and sex. A good example of harm reduction would be seat belts to reduce the harm associated with a wreck or applying sunscreen to avoid sunburn. Harm Reduction focuses on respecting both human rights and personal autonomy, allowing people to access care, support, education, and safe tools, without judgment or expectation.
Wilkes Harm Reduction Collective offered through Wilkes Recovery Revolution, Inc. believes the primary purpose for practicing Harm Reduction is to keep people alive, while protecting their health and empowering hope. Harm Reduction has proven to prevent overdoses, slow the spread of infectious diseases, and lessen the suffering of other consequences related to drug use. We believe strongly that people cannot improve their lives if they are dead and disconnected from needed support services.
Using drugs does not mean people give up their right to compassion, dignity, human rights, and love; it is quite the contrary, we feel this stigmatized population sometimes need a little more love and support. Harm Reduction is firmly grounded in the principles that protect human rights, give voices to those not heard, and create a nonjudgmental space with respect, trust, and love.
I started, in partnership with the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition, operating out of the trunk of my car; I saw the need for Harm Reduction in our community and stepped up to the plate! Recently, I, with support from my team, expanded our operations to include a brick-and-mortar site through a partnership with ALFA (AIDS Leadership Foothills Area) a harm reduction agency serving Hickory and surrounding counties. ALFA allowed us to distribute their kits through our stand-alone location until we had secured funding to distribute our own supplies.
Why Harm Reduction … My answer would be why not? We are saving lives, reaching people who go overlooked, and helping individuals live healthier, happier, and safer lives while improving our communities. We know this is working because last year alone there were 70 reported reversals through our naloxone distribution, participants reported better health, and many engaged in treatment for the first time due to the connections and support they received through our harm reduction services. We, as a community, must quit driving our beloved community members underground and give them the support they need to stay connected and above ground.
