Abstract
OBJECTIVE
To understand the motives behind the actions of harm reducers when working with drug users.
METHOD
Qualitative research conducted in the municipality in Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil, in May 2017, by means of phenomenological interviews with 17 harm reducers. We analyzed and interpreted the data using the social phenomenology of Alfred Schütz.
RESULTS
Data analysis led to the following three categories: expectation of changes in the user's sphere of life, motivation at work from the recognition of their actions, and relationship with others as a life-learning experience.
CONCLUSION
The reasons harm reducers work with drug users are related to the family, search for a home, employment, access to health care, rights, and stigma, as well as the positive results of their work, personal satisfaction, and learning with drug users.
KEYWORDS:
Nursing; Mental health; Substance-related disorders; Drug users; Harm reduction