Harm Reduction

The Alcoholism Counseling Service (ACS), located in New York City, offers a "harm reduction" approach to substance use treatment. Research has found that it is easier for some people to begin counseling when specific goals are not required to enter treatment. In harm reduction treatment, any treatment goal is valid that helps reduce harm to an individual. Therefore, total abstinence is one goal among several alternatives. In other words, abstinence falls under the umbrella of harm reduction. This results in an approach that tailors the treatment to fit the individual, rather than trying to make the individual fit into a treatment model.