Programy redukcji szkód w leczeniu uzależnień

Abstract

The limited effectiveness of anti-addiction pharmacotherapy encourages the introduction of so called harm reduction programs. They allow you to significantly reduce the health, social and economic damages of addicts and their families. The simplest form of harm reduction is the substitution therapy. You can use the same psychoactive substance (e.g. nicotine in patches) or give a different one (e.g. methadone vs morphine). Harm reduction programs are typically criticized for allegedly extending the addiction period. However, the experience of many countries shows that they are effectively contributing to recovery from addiction. Considering the fact that smoking is the main modifiable cause of diseases, and at the same time that there are no sufficiently effective methods of treating this addiction, the use of harm reduction programs – based on the so-called novel tobacco products – seems to be the most appropriate choice. Precedent registrations of subsequent Modified Risk Tobacco Products in the US create conditions to pragmatically replace tobacco products in which smoking occurs – other, smokeless, and at the same time less harmful.