Recent posts
Moral support
The area of moral injury and staff distress is seldom discussed within the fields of drugs and alcohol, homelessness, and mental health services. Moral...
The cuckoo’s nest
Surrey is leading the way in supporting victims of ‘cuckooing’ through a specialist outreach service. Part of local charity Catalyst Support, the service has...
Time to urgently target liver disease, campaigners tell Scottish Government
The Scottish Government needs to urgently prioritise the early detection and treatment of liver disease, says a call to action from more than 70...
Message from the frontline
I have been a community-based drug and alcohol worker since the late ’90s. Much has changed – some positive, but mostly very negative –...
Open door policy
When people reach out for support for suicidal thoughts or feelings, self-harm, suicide attempt(s) and/or bereavement by suicide, they should get the care they...
Almost half of people with ketamine use disorder not in treatment
Nearly half of people who are affected by ketamine use disorder are not seeking any support or treatment, according to a new study led...
Journey Recovery and Wellness Centre, Ballito, South Africa
Your Journey begins here...
Nestled in the heart of Ballito, Journey Recovery and Wellness Centre is one of the leading rehab centres in Durban, providing...
Rooting for recovery
In its bare bones, 12-step addiction recovery is a group of people sharing their trials and tribulations in an effort not to get into...
Campaigners urge Irish government to make sure mandatory alcohol health labelling...
An open letter signed by more than 75 health organisations and others is urging the Irish government to guarantee that the introduction of alcohol...
Power to the people?
In early 2020 the global pandemic had a significant effect on the wider NHS but also community drug and alcohol treatment services, forcing services...
One in four women in prison being held on remand
More than a quarter of all women in prison are being held there on remand, according to a new briefing from the Prison Reform...
Unintended consequences
Each month the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS), facilitated by Release, collects anecdotal reports from drug users and workers around the country and...
Lucie Jones – I am a…
WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO WORK IN THIS FIELD?
When I qualified as a nurse 32 years ago, all I wanted to do was work...
The long game
Buprenorphine was first licensed for medical use in the UK in 1978 as a painkiller. It was later approved for use in opioid use...
Note to self
GEARÓID AND SELF-TRACKING
When I started my master’s degree in counselling in 2005, I was introduced to routine outcome monitoring. This involves using valid and...
Scottish drug-related hospital stays up by 15 per cent
The number of drug-related hospital stays in Scotland increased by 15 per cent last year, according to new figures from Public Health Scotland (PHS).
There...
Dechrau Newydd drug service closure raises concerns for most vulnerable
The Dechrau Newydd drug intervention service in North Wales has closed, with concerns raised about the impact on some of the region’s most vulnerable...
Alcohol deaths an ‘acute crisis’, say researchers
The increase in alcohol deaths in England since the pandemic represents an ‘acute crisis’ requiring urgent government action, says a study by researchers at...
Safe as houses?
I read Simon Hattenstone’s article in the Guardian about the tragic death of Joe Black in a London hostel with mounting horror, frustration and...
News
Time to urgently target liver disease, campaigners tell Scottish Government
The Scottish Government needs to urgently prioritise the early detection and treatment of liver disease, says a call to action from more than 70...
Almost half of people with ketamine use disorder not in treatment
Nearly half of people who are affected by ketamine use disorder are not seeking any support or treatment, according to a new study led...
Campaigners urge Irish government to make sure mandatory alcohol health labelling...
An open letter signed by more than 75 health organisations and others is urging the Irish government to guarantee that the introduction of alcohol...
One in four women in prison being held on remand
More than a quarter of all women in prison are being held there on remand, according to a new briefing from the Prison Reform...
Scottish drug-related hospital stays up by 15 per cent
The number of drug-related hospital stays in Scotland increased by 15 per cent last year, according to new figures from Public Health Scotland (PHS).
There...
Dechrau Newydd drug service closure raises concerns for most vulnerable
The Dechrau Newydd drug intervention service in North Wales has closed, with concerns raised about the impact on some of the region’s most vulnerable...
Alcohol deaths an ‘acute crisis’, say researchers
The increase in alcohol deaths in England since the pandemic represents an ‘acute crisis’ requiring urgent government action, says a study by researchers at...
Drinking habits health research ‘a wake-up call’, says Alcohol Change UK
New research looking at the drinking habits of 4,000 people is a ‘wake-up call’ on the associated health harms, says Alcohol Change UK. Even...
Use taxes to encourage switch to safer nicotine products, governments urged
Governments should be using their tax systems to encourage smokers to switch to using safer nicotine products instead of cigarettes, says a new briefing...
Government announces £310m drug and alcohol grant funding
The government has published its 2025-26 drug, alcohol and recovery grant funding for local authorities. The allocations will see £310m go to councils to...
MPs pass tobacco and vapes bill
MPs have voted to pass the tobacco and vapes bill by 366 to 41. The bill has now passed its third reading and committee...
European MDMA market rapidly evolving, say EUDA and Europol
Europe’s criminal groups are expanding MDMA production, refining their trafficking methods and ‘extending their reach to new countries and regions’, says a new joint...
China executes four Canadians for drugs offences
China executed four Canadians for drug-related offences earlier this year, according to the Canadian authorities. The four – whose identities are being withheld –...
Number of Scots living with chronic liver disease set to rise...
The number of people with chronic liver disease in Scotland is projected to increase by 54 per cent by 2044, according to a report...
Global executions for drug offences ‘at crisis levels’
More than 615 people were executed for drug-related offences last year, according to Harm Reduction International (HRI). There were also almost 380 death sentences...
Public Health Scotland issues warning after increase in ‘sudden’ overdoses
Public Health Scotland (PHS) is urging caution after the recent increase in overdoses – some fatal – among people using heroin. Some of these...
Duterte flown to The Hague, as lawyers file petition
Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has been flown to The Hague, following his arrest at Manila airport. Duterte was taken into custody after the...
Duterte arrested for ‘crimes against humanity’
Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has been arrested after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant accusing him of crimes against humanity following...
Separation has more impact on women’s drinking than men’s
Women are more likely than men to increase regular drinking during marital separation, according to a study by the University of Oxford’s Nuffield Department...
More than 30 people now taken ill in Camden, say police
Thirty-three people in the London Borough of Camden have now been taken ill after taking what they thought was heroin, according to the latest...