Recent posts
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...
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...
Counted out
In 2024, Adfam marked its 40th year as a charity, and over the course of that year we reflected on the progress that’s been...
Over the threshold
‘People used to say to me, “What if we just didn’t do housing?” or “Let’s forget about getting them into work,” Professor Dame Carol...
Journey Recovery and Wellness Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa
Your Journey begins here...
Journey Recovery and Wellness Centre, one of the leading rehabilitation centres in Johannesburg, South Africa, offers a distinctive, upscale approach to...
Outside in
Policymakers frequently fail to listen to those they serve, making it impossible to understand their needs. ‘Nothing about us without us’ has long been...
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...
One part of the toolbox
After years of legal wrangling Scotland opened a drug consumption room in Glasgow. Responding to local need for such a facility to support people...
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...
Going upstream
Helping people link past trauma to current pain can be a catalyst for change says Warren Larkin, as DDN reports.
At the recent RCGP/AP conference...
The power of persistence
Blackburn with Darwen, located in East Lancashire, is a diverse and vibrant borough known for its industrial heritage and strong community spirit. Nestled amidst...
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...
Unequal to the task
As Trevi chief executive Hannah Shead told the 2023 DDN conference, women may make up more than 50 per cent of the UK population,...
Get it out there
I recently presented on naloxone at a conference where I was introduced as a ‘poacher turned gamekeeper’. I didn’t take offence – I’ve been...
News
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...
Glasgow consumption room used more than 1,000 times
Glasgow’s consumption room, The Thistle, has been used 1,067 times by more than 140 people since it opened in January, according to the city’s...
NHS Scotland issues alert about ‘sudden collapse’ overdoses
An alert has been issued by NHS Dumfries & Galloway over a spate of ‘rapid’ drug overdoses in the region. Although not yet confirmed...
US overdose deaths down by a quarter
Provisional data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the year to September 2024 is predicting a ‘nearly 24 per...
‘Cuckooing’ to become a specific criminal offence
The act of seizing control of a vulnerable person’s home in order to deal drugs, known as ‘cuckooing’, is to become a specific criminal...