Harm-Minimisation: Old Wine in New Bottles?

New terminology and new jargon often conceal the fact that what is being described is not new. This is the case with 'harm-minimisation'. It is only in the last few years that the general term 'harm-minimisation' has been used but in fact agencies have been promoting practices which could be described in this way for some considerable time. For example, in Sexually Transmitted Diseases Clinics there has been the promotion of preventative measures against these diseases; and in the alcohol field the promotion of sensible drinking, not drinking and driving, and lower alcohol content beverages are all examples of 'harm-minimisation'. Hence, what has happened is that the quite long standing practice of harm-minimisation has been given a much clearer conceptualisation. This has been due to the advent of the HIV/AIDS problem among injecting drug users, and this clearer conceptualisation has led to harm-minimisation becoming both more public and far more controversial.