The Fallacy of Labeling Medications for Opioid Use Disorder as Harm Reduction.

Over the last few years, the conversation around substance use disorder especially opioids and its treatment has gained momentum. In the midst of all the discussions around the best ways to assist those with opioid use disorder, a certain term has been used frequently and incorrectly — “harm reduction”. While the term “harm reduction” conjures a positive image for those of us who understand its efficacy, its recent usage in the context of treating addiction has been a source of contention. It has been used to create a false sense of superiority for one treatment pathway over another, specifically, labeling the use of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) as “harm reduction” creates the illusion that abstinent based programs are superior as they are not categorized as such. In this critique, we will be briefly examining why calling the use of medications for opioid use disorder harm reduction is misleading, insulting and does not help us further the implementation of much need harm reduction services. <a href="https://medium.com/@chad4harmredux/the-fallacy-of-labeling-medications-for-opioid-use-disorder-as-harm-reduction-6323ea0014a3">Click Here</a>