Addressing the opioid and polysubstance use crises by supporting advocates in local performing arts and food and beverage scenes.
Current substance use crises in the United States peaked after the COVID-19 pandemic. Harm reduction efforts – interventions that have sought to decrease the risk of death, illness, or serious injury associated with the use of drugs – play an important part in community-based responses to the ongoing crises. To get the knowledge and tools for harm reduction out to communities, it is helpful to identify the groups within communities that are best suited to step into the role of harm reduction.
Enter Hospitality and Harm Reduction, a community-based partnership with local music scenes and food and beverage professionals to support the work of substance use harm reduction. Hospitality industry insiders have a unique perspective on the venues and recreational spaces that frequently house or surround risky substance use. Plus, these communities tend to be nonjudgmental, present and attuned to their surroundings, and tied deeply to the fabric of a local community.
This research collaboration has focused on designing focus groups and tailored trainings for bartenders, bouncers, servers, hosts, and working musicians interested in preparing to enact harm reduction in their communities. Early phases of these projects will serve as the foundation to potential larger intervention efforts: local outreach to establishments, partnership with larger delegations, and advocacy.
Harmony and Harm Reduction
Harmony and Harm Reduction, a project gathering perspectives from local working musicians, began with a small group of passionate artists and researchers in Columbia, South Carolina. The initial needs assessment was funded by the Society for Community Research and Action (American Psychological Association, division 27) student research grant in 2023.
Hospitality and Harm Reduction
Hospitality and Harm Reduction, the broad name my team gave to these initiatives, also refers to the parts of this project specifically focused on the food-and-beverage industry. The project sought perspectives from food-and-beverage professionals in Columbia, South Carolina related to addressing risky substance use through harm reduction efforts. The initial needs assessment was funded by the Society of Addiction Psychology (American Psychological Association, division 50) student research grant in 2023.
Sarah Grace Frary, M.A. 