Can Drug Users be Effective Change Agents?? Yes, But Much Still Needs to Change

Abstract

The answer to the question of whether drug users can be effective change agents is yes, although the extent to which they are successful as change agents depends on whether they are acting to change their individual behaviors, the behavior of other drug users, or the laws and policies that negatively impact their health. Drug users have been successful in reducing their individual risk behaviors, and controlling and managing their drug use while still actively using drugs. They have also been successful in advocating risk reduction among their drug using peers. The success of drug users in changing policies that increase their risk for contracting HIV and other diseases, and improving their lives has been more mixed. In spite of these successes, drug use continues to be criminalized and viewed as a moral failure rather than an illness in the belief that drug users are incapable of change. This essay addresses the major myths still common to misunderstanding drug users and behavior change. These attitudes, in turn, limit drug users’ ability to effectively act to improve their lives.