Contemporary practices of Harm Reduction in Brazil: inputs, art and social bonds

Abstract

Objective: To discuss the possible input function of artistic and cultural practices in the context of Harm Reduction (HR). Methods: Ethnographic research developed at the Ponto de Cultura of the Centro de Convivência "É de Lei", located in São Paulo-SP, which took place in two moments: in the first, in October 2016, participative observation of artistic and cultural activities was carried out. In the second, in November 2016, semi-structured interviews were carried out with professionals and regulars. The study identified and described artistic and cultural practices, as well as investigated their possible relationships with HR inputs in the production of the social bond. The discussion of the data was based on concepts at the interface between public health and psychoanalysis. Results and Discussion: The research characterized the input in HR as a promoter of a bond between the drug addict and whoever offers it with the potential to divert the subject from the established solitary relationship with the substance towards the creation of social ties that stimulates the exercise of their condition as a singular subject in culture. Conclusion: The study concluded that artistic and cultural practices can play the role of inputs in HR with regard to the establishment of social bonds.