Ms Em Murphy:

We need to see light at the end of the tunnel to start to want to recover in the first place. I entered recovery through a harm-reduction approach and was not ready to stop using drugs. I still needed them because I did not have enough meaning, connection, hope and empowerment in my life to feel I could stop. I needed a service that met me where I was at and gave me opportunities for training, development and education without asking me or caring whether I was drug free, because that was not what was relevant. Through being seen as somebody with value and potential, I was motivated to manage my drug use in a way that abstinence models just did not do for me. That is one approach. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to recovery, and that is just not recognised in the services.