Redukcja szkód związana z przyjmowaniem substancji psychoaktywnych

Abstract

Psychoactive substance addiction is difficult to treat, brings huge damage to the body and has negative social and economic consequences for the addicted, their families and society. Rehabilitation therapy is often long and has a high failure rate. For this reason, there is a need for extensive action to minimise the negative effects of psychoactive substance use. Substitution therapy is one of the programmes included in the harm reduction strategy. It involves the replacement of an illicit drug with a legal substance with similar or identical pharmacological effects and is applied in drug addiction therapy. In the case of nicotine addiction, substitution therapy involves taking the same psychoactive substance (nicotine) in a form which is devoid of the majority of other toxic substances that are found in tobacco smoke. The introduction of alternative forms of nicotine supply (electronic cigarettes, non-smoking tobacco products) have renewed the controversy around the topic of efficacy of harm reduction involving the replacement of traditional tobacco products with those with reduced emission of toxic substances, but which still deliver nicotine. According to the opponents of substitution therapy, it prevents one from achieving abstinence that allows for full elimination of harm generated by psychoactive substances. Finding a common platform between the proponents of harm reduction and advocates of complete abstinence-based therapy would be of benefit to the addicted individuals.