The words “harm reduction” can be scary to some. There’s a lot of information out there about how to stay safe while drinking, but I’ve only seen a few folks share from the perspective of someone who used harm reduction. I want to fill that void. I’m here to say “I’ve done it, it wasn’t easy, but it gave me back my life.”
When I found harm reduction, I was drinking heavily from the moment I woke up to the moment I passed out. I did not believe I’d get better. My husband likes to joke that watching me go on my journey of harm reduction was like “watching someone get addicted to alcohol in reverse.” I thought I’d share some things I used to help me “reverse” that addiction and reach my goal.
Raise your own awareness
Awareness can be daunting when you’re looking at behaviors you’ve formed shame around. For me, it began by recognizing my triggers … but it’s hard to pinpoint a trigger when everything feels like one.
Try starting small: take note of what times you like to have a drink or why. Also, recognize what’s going on when you’re not and maybe don’t feel like drinking. Some people have success tracking their consumption on a phone app to help them visualize their patterns. Whatever reasons you have for picking alcohol up or putting it down, bring more attention and awareness to your habits so you can make changes.
Find support
Practicing harm reduction can feel isolating. There’s some stigma in recovery circles around reducing use or practicing safer drinking in place of abstinence, and some people may have strong opinions on the subject. That is why it’s important to have positive, non-judgmental support. I was lucky enough to have my husband and to have connected with an online harm reduction community. You might find that non-judgmental support through family, friends, support groups, Facebook groups, or through your Workit Health member community and the counselor chat in our app. Connecting with others not only gives you motivational support, but it could also provide valuable resources to help you develop healthy habits and reach your goals.
Celebrate the victories, no matter how small
Learn to recognize and celebrate your own victories. This was a difficult one for me to adopt, which is why my support system was so important. They were able to point out my victories until I learned how to see them for myself.
Some wins may be huge (maybe you went a week without drinking or turned down a big event centered around alcohol). But not all victories have to be big to be worthy of celebration. When you’re in active addiction, the narrative in your head can become dark and you may feel hopeless. Celebrating the small victories can give you hope. Perhaps you stopped at 5 drinks instead of 6, you had water and food instead of consuming on an empty stomach, or you decided not to engage in an argument while under the influence. These are all valid victories that deserve to be celebrated. When you can be proud of something you’ve accomplished, you’ve opened the door to more positive self-talk and the courage to say, “I can do this!”
Try an alcohol-free (AF) day
It is just as important to reinforce the hobbies and activities you engage in without alcohol as it is to be mindful when you are drinking. Try to dedicate an entire day without alcohol, and make sure you fill it with fun activities. You can try things like: taking walks, joining a sports club, meditating, attending religious events, socializing with friends, or spending time with family. Or do other activities you enjoy but have disconnected from due to drinking.
If it’s hard to commit to an entire day alcohol-free, break it up into smaller pieces. Try to do one activity without drinking until you can build up to more. The more you practice, the more likely you are to string AF days together and reach your goal, whether that’s moderation or abstinence.
Don’t give up
When you start to pull away from alcohol, it can honestly feel … well … complicated, unwanted, or even lonely. While drinking was in no way a healthy or effective way of coping with my stress, it was my most practiced coping mechanism. It was difficult to kick.
When I started my harm reduction journey, some days I’d overindulge and cycle into negative self-talk. Other times I wanted to give up and run away. That’s where the therapy and support came in. It’s so important to give yourself grace when you have slip-ups and bad days, because bad days happen. What you learn from those days helps strengthen your recovery and teaches you to recognize and redirect a bad day early on, before it gets worse.
Reach out to us if there’s anything we can do to support you in achieving your goals. Most importantly, YOU ARE WORTH IT AND YOU ARE NOT ALONE!