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Harm Reduction

Harm reduction saves lives by meeting people where they are. Discover practical strategies, community programs, and proven interventions that reduce the risks of opioid use while fostering trust, safety, and the opportunity for long-term recovery.

What Is Harm Reduction?

Harm reduction recognizes a simple truth: people who use drugs deserve to be safe, healthy, and treated with dignity — regardless of whether they’re ready to stop using.

Harm reduction strategies reduce the negative consequences of drug use without requiring abstinence. These approaches keep people alive so that when they’re ready for treatment, they can get it. And if they’re never ready? They still deserve to live.

Harm reduction includes:

  • Overdose prevention and naloxone access
  • Education about safer use practices
  • Reducing stigma and increasing access to healthcare
  • Meeting people where they are—literally and figuratively

Overdose Prevention: What You Need to Know

Recognizing an Opioid Overdose

Every second counts. Know these signs:

  • Unconscious or can’t be awakened
  • Slow, shallow, or no breathing
  • Gurgling or choking sounds (“death rattle”)
  • Blue or purple lips, fingernails, or skin
  • Cold, clammy skin
  • Tiny “pinpoint” pupils
  • No response to loud noises or pain

If You See These Signs:

  1. CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY – This is the most important step
  2. Give naloxone (Narcan) if available – aim up nose, press firmly
  3. Try to wake them – shout their name, rub knuckles on chest sternum
  4. Put them in recovery position – on their side to prevent choking
  5. Perform rescue breathing if they’re not breathing (1 breath every 5 seconds)
  6. Stay with them until emergency services arrive
  7. Give another dose of naloxone after 2–3 minutes if no response

 

Alabama’s Good Samaritan Law protects you. You will NOT be arrested for drug possession when you call 911 for an overdose. Calling for help is always the right choice.

Naloxone (Narcan): The Overdose Reversal Medication

What Is Naloxone? Naloxone is a medication that rapidly reverses opioid overdose. It’s safe, effective, and easy to use. In Alabama, you don’t need a prescription to get it.

Where to Get FREE Naloxone in Mobile & Mobile County:

  • Most pharmacies – No prescription needed in Alabama
  • Franklin Primary Health Center – Free with training, (251) 434-8188
  • Mobile Metro Treatment Center – Free distribution
  • Mobile Area Interfaith Conference – Free with training
  • Mobile County Health Department
  • Project Persevere partner organizations – Contact any partner

How to Use Naloxone Nasal Spray:

  1. Lay the person on their back
  2. Remove naloxone from packaging
  3. Hold spray with thumb on bottom, fingers on either side of nozzle
  4. Tilt head back, insert nozzle in one nostril
  5. Press plunger firmly to release dose
  6. Give second dose in other nostril after 2–3 minutes if no response
  7. Always call 911 even if naloxone works

Get Trained: Free naloxone training is available through Project Persevere partners. Training takes 15–30 minutes and could save a life. Contact any partner organization to schedule training.

Safer Use Practices

If you’re using opioids, these strategies reduce your risk of overdose and other harm:

Never Use Alone

  • Use with someone who can call 911 if needed
  • Use Never Use Alone hotline: 1-800-928-5330 (someone stays on phone with you)
  • Tell someone nearby that you’re using and might need help

Start Small, Go Slow

  • Start with a smaller amount than usual, especially with new supply
  • Wait to see how it affects you before using more
  • Fentanyl in the supply makes every batch unpredictable

Avoid Mixing Substances

  • Mixing opioids with alcohol, benzodiazepines, or other sedatives dramatically increases overdose risk
  • If you do mix, use less of each substance

Have Naloxone Nearby

  • Keep naloxone where you use
  • Make sure people around you know where it is and how to use it
  • Check expiration dates regularly

Know Your Supply

  • Fentanyl is in most street opioids now
  • Consider using fentanyl test strips (legal in Alabama)
  • New dealers or new batches can mean higher risk

Keep Your Phone Accessible

  • Make sure 911 can be called quickly
  • Consider setting up emergency contacts

Use Clean Supplies

  • Reduces risk of infections, HIV, hepatitis C
  • Many Project Persevere partners can connect you to clean supplies

Harm Reduction Is Not Giving Up

Myth: “Harm reduction enables drug use.”
Truth: Harm reduction keeps people alive. Dead people can’t recover. People who feel supported and safe are MORE likely to eventually seek treatment.

Myth: “Giving people naloxone encourages them to use more.”
Truth: Research shows naloxone availability does NOT increase drug use. It simply prevents death.

Myth: “People need to hit rock bottom before they’ll get help.”
Truth: “Rock bottom” is often a grave. Meeting people where they are with support increases the likelihood they’ll eventually seek treatment.

Getting Help Without Getting Treatment:

You can access support without committing to treatment:

Survival Programs: Get connected to peer support, naloxone, and basic needs assistance without any requirement to stop using. [Learn about Survival Programs]

Medical Care: You can see a doctor for infections, wounds, pain, or other health issues without agreeing to addiction treatment. Your healthcare provider should treat you with respect regardless of your substance use.

Mental Health Support: Many people use drugs to cope with trauma, anxiety, depression, or other mental health conditions. You can access mental health counseling without committing to addiction treatment.

Housing & Basic Needs: Several Project Persevere partners can help connect you to housing, food, transportation, and other essential services—no strings attached.

 

For Friends & Family: How to Help Someone Who’s Using:

Keep Them Alive First The most important thing you can do is help keep your loved one alive while they’re still using. That means:

Get Naloxone and Learn How to Use It Keep naloxone where your loved one might use. Get trained so you’re confident if you need to use it.

Talk Without Judgment

  • Avoid: “Why can’t you just stop?” “You’re destroying this family.” “You’re being selfish.”
  • Try: “I’m worried about you.” “I love you.” “Can I help you stay safer?”

Share Harm Reduction Information Give them naloxone. Show them safer use practices. Connect them to resources without pressure.

Set Boundaries for Yourself You can help someone stay safe while also protecting your own wellbeing. It’s okay to say: “I won’t give you money, but I will give you naloxone.” “I won’t lie for you, but I will drive you to appointments.”

Take Care of Yourself Supporting someone with addiction is exhausting and heartbreaking. Connect with support groups for families. See a therapist. You can’t pour from an empty cup.

Remember: You Can’t Force Recovery You can’t make someone get help before they’re ready. What you CAN do is keep them alive until they are ready.

View All Family Support Resources

When You’re Ready for More

Harm reduction and treatment aren’t opposites—they work together.

You can use harm reduction resources while you think about treatment. You can access survival programs that provide support without requiring sobriety. And when you’re ready for formal treatment, all of these resources can help you transition smoothly.

Next steps when you’re ready:

  • Survival Programs – Ongoing support and coaching without treatment requirements [Learn More]
  • Treatment Programs – Formal treatment including MAT, counseling, and residential care [Learn More]
  • Project Persevere Partners – 15 organizations ready to help [View All Programs]

There’s no timeline. There’s no “right way” to do this. There’s just staying alive today and figuring out tomorrow when it comes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is harm reduction just giving up on recovery? No. Harm reduction is about keeping people alive and connected to support. Many people who engage with harm reduction services eventually pursue treatment—because they’re alive to make that choice.

Will I get in trouble for having naloxone? No. Naloxone is legal to possess in Alabama. The Good Samaritan Law protects people who call 911 during an overdose.

What if I’m not ready to stop using? That’s exactly who harm reduction is for. These resources are available regardless of whether you want to quit.

Can I get naloxone for someone else? Yes. You can get naloxone to keep your loved one safe even if they’re not ready to get it themselves.

Do I have to tell anyone I’m using to get naloxone? No. You can get naloxone with no questions asked at pharmacies and many partner organizations.

What’s the difference between harm reduction and survival programs? Harm reduction is about immediate safety (naloxone, safer use info). Survival programs provide ongoing support and coaching. Both meet you where you are without requiring sobriety.

Crisis Resources – Always Available

🚨 If someone is overdosing: CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY

  • 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – Call or text 988 (24/7)
  • Mobile Crisis Team – (251) 450-2211
  • Poison Control – 1-800-222-1222
  • Never Use Alone Hotline – 1-800-928-5330

View All Crisis Resources Button

More Information & Support

Remember: Harm reduction saves lives. You deserve to be safe. You deserve support. You deserve dignity—today, tomorrow, and every day.

 

Life buoy on a pole by the water's edge, overcast sky, coastal landscape in the background.
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Mind-Body Recovery
February 28, 2026

While it may seem new, incorporating mindfulness and yoga practices into recovery has been on the rise since these ancient practices were brought to the West from India during ‘60s and ‘70s. Even the 12-step, faith-based program Alcoholics Anonymous began including spiritual reflection and contemplative practices in recovery around that time. Cut to the present day, and you’ll find a range of faith- and nondenominational-based addiction treatment and services available to individuals seeking recovery, including those that incorporate holistic care such as yoga and meditation. Additionally, there is compelling evidence to support that mind-body interventions like yoga and meditation can be powerful complements to conventional care for various substance use disorders, including opioid misuse.

According to a clinical trial published in January of this year on the National Institute of Health’s National Library of Medicine’s PubMed site, a treatment center in Bengaluru, India, found that people withdrawing from opioids recovered from acute symptoms nearly twice as fast when traditional medication was paired with structured yoga practice. Participants practicing yoga on top of standard treatment with buprenorphine (a medication used to treat opioid use disorder and pain) stabilized within five days, compared with nine days among those receiving medication alone. The yoga group also reported markedly reduced anxiety, improved sleep quality, and better autonomic regulation (a physiological marker of stress resilience).

Beyond Detox

The Journal of the American Medical Association notes that opioid use disorder is not simply a matter of physical dependence; rather, it’s a multi-system dysregulation affecting brain reward pathways, stress systems, emotional processing and behavioral habits. Standard care often combines medication-assisted treatment with counseling and support groups, an approach that has saved countless lives. But relapse rates and treatment drop-outs remain high, leaving clinicians searching for additional tools to improve long-term success. This is where yoga and meditation enter, not as alternative treatments that replace evidence-based care, but as complements to reinforce physiological balance and emotional resilience.

Yoga engages breathing, posture and awareness, elements that tap into the autonomic nervous system, which governs stress responses. The Bengaluru trial’s findings that yoga enhanced heart-rate variability (a measure of parasympathetic “rest and digest” activity) suggest that these practices may ease the intensity of withdrawal and emotional agitation. Beyond withdrawal, research suggests that yoga and similar mind-body practices can improve outcomes across substance use disorders.

A systematic review published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine found that among randomized controlled trials (some involving opioid users) yoga was associated with improvements in anxiety, pain and craving when used alongside traditional therapies.

Meditation practices, whether focused attention, breath awareness or guided imagery, are increasingly studied as tools to rewire reward circuitry disrupted by addiction. These practices bolster emotional regulation and reduce stress sensitivity, which are factors that often trigger relapse long after detoxification ends. Studies show that people receiving group mindfulness sessions (including remote or virtual varieties) alongside medication treatment reported significantly lower opioid craving compared with those receiving only standard care.

Whole-Person Healing

For people emerging from the acute phase of opioid withdrawal, long-term recovery hinges not just on avoiding substances but on rebuilding life with purpose, resilience and balance. Yoga and meditation do not replace medication-assisted therapies, counseling or peer support, but evidence increasingly suggests they can enhance those pillars by addressing underlying physiological stress responses and emotional triggers. As research continues to grow, clinics, therapists and recovery communities alike are watching closely: bridging neuroscience with ancient practices may offer a new frontier in healing from one of the most challenging public health crises of our time.

Local Resources and Integrative Options

In Mobile County, Alabama, there is a broad range of treatment options, many of which are listed on the Project Persevere website’s Treatment Programs page. Below, find the list of a few that incorporate holistic practices with traditional therapies. Remember, recovery is not one-size-fits-all, and not every center explicitly lists yoga or meditation on its roster of services. Still, many coordinate with community partners or wellness professionals to help clients explore these practices as part of holistic aftercare or ongoing relapse prevention.

  • Vets Recover – Mental health therapy and support for substance abuse to veterans, first responders and their families.
  • AltaPointe Health – Outpatient substance use disorder treatment prioritizing pregnant women with intravenous substance use disorders, women with dependent children, individuals with intravenous substance use disorders, individuals who are HIV positive and all others with substance use disorders.
  • Bradford Health Services – Inpatient and outpatient recovery programs for substance use disorders, incorporating a variety of evidence-based approaches.
Explore Our Programs

Discover how Project Persevere’s initiatives are creating real impact across treatment, prevention, recovery, and community support. Explore our programs below to see how each one contributes to lasting change in the fight against opioid addiction.

Man sitting outdoors at sunset, reflecting on opioid recovery and hope.

Wellborn Strategies + CiviConnections

Team Wellborn Strategies + CiviConnections develops and executes a multi-platform communications and paid media campaign that reduces stigma, raises awareness of treatment options, and strives to prevent new cases of opioid use disorder. The program includes polling and audience research, creative production, strategic media placement across digital and traditional channels, public relations, grantee coordination, and real-time campaign optimization.

Waterfront Rescue Mission

Waterfront Rescue Mission’s Recovery Readiness, the first of three phases in its LifeBuilder Recovery Program, addresses opioid issues in Mobile through a holistic, faith-based approach. By addressing the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of addiction, they help individuals build a strong foundation for long-term recovery and sustainable life change.

View all programs