The lived experience of persons receiving harm reduction services, finding an oasis in the deserted life of drug use

Background
Harm reduction (HR) policy embraces interventions that seek to reduce the harms of drug use to individuals, communities and societies. The core principle of HR  places primary emphasis on reducing the health-related harms of continued drug use. National drug policies increasingly reflect HR objectives defined in the EU drugs strategy, and there is broad agreement within Europe on the importance of reducing harms, in particular the spread of infectious diseases and overdose-related morbidity and mortality. Undoubtedly HR is considered the most progressive and liberal concept linked to humanitarianism and thrusted forward by recent socio-political trends . The persons receiving HR services can provide a deeper understanding of HR services for clinicians and policy makers, thus, it seems worthwhile to further illuminate their lived experience.
Methods
The mini study illuminates the lived experience of two persons receiving harm reduction services in the Drop-in and Harm Reduction Center Stoxos (DCS) in Cyprus. In order to illuminate the lived experience of the persons receiving the HR services individual interviews were conducted. A phenomenological-hermeneutical approach inspired by Paul Ricœur was used as the philosophical cornerstone to enlighten the phenomenon understudy. The interpretation of the text consisted of initial repeated novel style reading for deriving a holistic cognitive and emotional abstract sense and further processing of the text through content analysis by identify meaning units and threads of latent understanding grouped into subthemes thus revealing two final themes.
Results and Conclusions
Repeated novel style reading revealed a cognitive and emotional abstract sense that informants experienced the meaning of HR services in DCS in the light of their past present and future life situation related to a great extend to the harm caused by drug addiction. Although acknowledging drug related harm, self-destructive behavior and mental vulnerability they seemed overall satisfied and relieved with their presence at the center instilling hope and a strive for life in oneself. The process of content analysis revealed two themes 1) Enduring in life and harm which had a deeper dimension of the informants inner self and their life in drug use, the drug related harm and a strive for life at the DCS and 2) Having a base for relief and connection – concerned with the informants lived experience in relation to the environment offered by the DCS.
Both the informant’s consciousness and the DCS served as an Oasis in the deserted life of drug use. The informants although acknowledging harm they also preserved hope and life in the DCS and themselves, the DCS served as base for regular meals and  interaction with respect , fostering a gathering place embracing emotional understanding that relaxes from day to day pressure of living with drug use and a focal point towards networking for medical, social and psychological needs.