in mortal combat with addiction, a parent wishes for a catastrophe to befall his son. I wish for a catastrophe, but one that is contained. It must be harsh enough to bring him to his knees, to humble him, but mild enough so he can, with heroic effort and the good that I know is inside him, recover, because anything short of that will not be enough for him to save himself. …I wish for a “near miss’ for Nic.” (David Sheff, Beautiful Boy.)
What do you think Nic’s father is experiencing as he sees the impact of addiction on his son and his family? How does his thinking relate to the concept of harm reduction?