I’m having a hard time quitting smoking.
That’s the truth. I’ve been bumming cigarettes from the other guys in the house and just spent my last $10 feeding the addiction I keep swearing I’ll beat. But still, I want to say thank you — thank you to those who didn’t buy me a pack. That’s not enabling. That’s support. It’s not easy to say no to someone you care about, but it’s the right thing to do.
And here’s what I’ve learned: there’s a difference between enabling and empowering.
When I hear back from Disney — and I believe I will — I’ll need to prepare a portfolio. Something professional. Something bold. Something worthy of a dream job. But I don’t have the resources right now. I might have a display book in storage, but I’ll need help putting everything together.
That’s not enabling. That’s giving someone a step up. That’s believing in someone's potential.
This brings me to the point of today’s journal: HARM Reduction.
Harm reduction is a realistic, compassionate approach to addiction. It doesn’t shame people for relapsing. It doesn’t lock the door on support when someone slips. It understands that progress is not perfection. It says: let’s make things better — one step at a time.
Here’s the idea: help someone get a job. Help them find decent housing. Help them build a life worth protecting. When people feel purpose, support, and stability, they naturally begin to reduce the harm in their lives.
If I were working regularly — say, drawing portraits in Disneyland or designing art for Imagineering — and living in a healthier environment with more structure and inspiration, I honestly believe I’d smoke less. Maybe even quit. Not because someone told me to, but because I’d want to. Because I'd be too busy living.
Compare that to these tough love trap houses that feel more like holding cells. Boredom is fuel for addiction. Isolation is its playground. You give someone nothing to do, no goal, no future — and then act shocked when they self-destruct.
No thanks.
This isn’t just about quitting smoking. It’s about building a life that makes quitting possible. That’s what harm reduction is all about.
It’s a bold ambition, yes. But it’s not impossible.
With the right support, a little opportunity, and a portfolio in my hand, I believe we can do this. And if you’re out there struggling too — you’re not alone. Keep dreaming. Keep building. Keep reducing the harm, one day at a time.
— Dan Joyce
Artist, Author, Almost Former Smoker
www.danjoyceart.com
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