The idea of Buddy Circles expands the designated driver position to incorporate broader substance use and different dangers. (Pexels/Martin Lopez)

The designated driver (DD) is a profitable public well being technique relationship again to the late 1980s. To higher mirror the realities of at the moment’s society, now is an efficient time to evolve the initiative to assist mitigate the harms tied to broader substance use and past consuming and driving.

The promotion of “buddy circles,” as an expanded hurt discount technique, is one doable approach to obtain these ends. Much like the DD, the goal of the proposed buddy circle initiative is to problem norms and promote behaviour change in an effort to cut back hurt.

The buddy circle idea, nevertheless, expands on that of the designated driver, considering different substances and dangers — together with COVID-19 and social media — in an effort to construct a extra complete hurt mitigation technique for the 21st century.

The designated driver and past

In North America the idea of designated driving started in 1988 as a part of Harvard College’s College of Public Well being’s Alcohol Challenge. The undertaking concerned a partnership with main tv networks and Hollywood studios. Over the previous 30 years this program has achieved its targets, integrating the DD into our language and tradition.

Over the previous 30+ years, the idea of the designated driver has develop into built-in into our language and tradition.

(Pixabay)

In response to Jay Winsten, founding director of the Heart for Well being Communication on the Harvard T.H. Chan College of Public Well being, there have been two essential components concerned within the profitable promotion of the DD to the general public. The primary was that it was framed as a constructive message, one which “lent social legitimacy to the choice of refraining from consuming and created social stress to adapt.” The second was that the DD “wanted to be seen as an integral a part of the night’s enjoyable and never as a bystander.”

Since its inception, the DD has been related to alcohol consumption. That authentic focus nonetheless dominates our fashionable understanding of this system (for instance see the net dictionary definition of DD).

As we speak, as an rising variety of international locations discover stress-free their drug polices in response to and/or because of higher consciousness of drug utilizing behaviours and the harms related to prohibitionist insurance policies and practices, together with Canada the place leisure hashish was legalized in 2018 and there’s rising stress to decriminalize possession of all medication — just like Portugal, a broader method to substance use behaviour and its related dangers is required.

A girl smokes a joint throughout the annual 4/20 hashish tradition celebration at Sundown Seaside in Vancouver, B.C., on April 20, 2017.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Program growth

There are a selection of potential dangers or harms {that a} buddy circle initiative could tackle. 4 are highlighted right here:

overconsumption of drugs

unintended or non-consensual consumption of drugs

social media publicity

COVID-19

The harms related to over-consumption of drugs embrace overdosing, passing out, vomiting, choking on vomit, sexual or bodily assault or partaking in harmful and/or embarrassing behaviour.

There’s additionally a hazard of unintended consumption, corresponding to having a drink or different substance spiked by a stronger drug (for instance, fentanyl-laced heroin) or through “date-rape” medication (e.g., GHB and rohypnol).

Photos taken whereas individuals are impaired can have unfavorable penalties if posted to social media.

(Pexels/Hygor Sakai)

One other space of threat within the 21st century is related to good telephones and social media. Taking and posting images of oneself and one’s mates is an on a regular basis incidence. These embrace images of intoxicated people, that may be (and sometimes are) posted to social media websites by mates or by strangers.

Regardless of legal guidelines defending privateness rights, such posts can have extreme unfavorable penalties for people. Components of 1’s social media behaviour which can be seen as proof of questionable “honesty, maturity or ethical character” can lead to lack of jobs or job gives, lack of scholarships, rescinding of gives for college admission or different misplaced alternatives.

Now in 2020, COVID-19 provides an extra layer to evolving substance-use harm-mitigation methods. As communities carry COVID-19 restrictions, we see younger individuals particularly taking part in social gatherings on seashores, at home events, on and off school campuses, and at bars, sometimes partaking in substance consumption and associated behaviours that may improve the danger of COVID-19 transmission.

Younger individuals collect on the Break Water Park, close to Gord Edgar Downie Pier, with none bodily distancing in Kingston, Ont., on Aug. 30, 2020.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg

Buddy circles

The promotion of buddy circles as a hurt discount technique can tackle these considerations. The thought builds on the successes of the DD, re-imagining how classes realized could be utilized to reinforce the norms tied to socially accountable substance use behaviour. It additionally incorporates acquainted components from the newer COVID-19 “social circle” campaigns, corresponding to limiting our publicity to others to cut back threat.

Buddy circles are small teams of people who get collectively socially and look out for every others’ well-being. Buddy circles can work whether or not the group is staying in or going out, attending events (small or massive, indoors or outside), or going to bars or different indoor public venues.

On successive social events, members of the circle take turns enjoying the integral position of “buddy guard” (just like the DD) — abstaining from substance use and taking the lead in encouraging the group to be careful for one another in an effort to mitigate hurt. This will embrace reminding members to: keep collectively, preserve social distance, put on masks, clear their palms and keep away from taking and sharing inappropriate images of members. The buddy guard can even get assist when wanted and make it possible for everybody arrives house safely on the finish of the evening, regardless of the mode of transportation.

Jacqueline Lewis doesn’t work for, seek the advice of, personal shares in or obtain funding from any firm or group that will profit from this text, and has disclosed no related affiliations past their tutorial appointment.