Agents of change
We urgently need to become activists once more, argues Nick Wilson in his contribution to The Vision Project.
Read the full article in DDN Magazine
The...
Spreading the evidence
Grace Ball discusses how the UK recovery movement is continuing to evolve, and reports back from the UK Recovery Academy’s recent Manchester conference.
These are...
Becoming free of hepatitis C
To mark World Hepatitis Day, the I’m Worth… campaign is launching a survey – and needs your views.
In England, around 160,000 people are infected...
Doing it for ourselves
Forget looking to government and corporations for answers to social problems. The answers lie in harnessing the strength within our recovery community, say...
Learning curve: Involving social work students in substance misuse
Bringing together social work students and people in recovery gave an opportunity to share skills and knowledge, as Marelize Joubert reports.
Attending a substance misuse conference...
Mental health is in crisis – time to act
Mental health is in crisis – more so for people from minority groups. How do we reach them before they drown? DDN reports from...
The Heart of the Matter
Can we meet six basic challenges to repair a fragmented treatment system, asks Paul Hayes.
Brexit continues to dominate mainstream debate. But far more important...
Independent spirit
Service user group B3’s name stands for ‘be heard, be motivated, be free’. DDN's David Gilliver hears from project manager Ossie Yemoh about the...
Tips for the home teacher
With many more weeks of home schooling to go, Becky Cranham's tips might save your sanity...
One week down, lots more to go. As it...
So, how are we doing?
As deputy drug czar for the Blair government, Mike Trace oversaw the expansion of today’s drug and alcohol treatment system. In the second of...
Addiction and recovery in East London
The times they are a changin’
As Spitalfields Crypt Trust (SCT) celebrates 50 years of helping people in recovery, CEO Graham Marshall looks back at...
A Winner’s Tale
Last year Kelly’s Story won the Recovery Street Film Festival. In 2015, Kelly Judge was sleeping rough on the streets of London with no...
A patient worth saving?
We need to talk about service user involvement,
says Nick Goldstein.
Service user involvement, in one form or another, has been around a long time. An...
What a long strange trip it’s been
When DDN launched way back in 2004 Tony Blair was prime minister, the NTA was just three years old, and the money was flowing...
Kaleidoscope’s – The Big Debate
Chaired by Adele Blakebrough, The Big Debate was the evening event of Kaleidoscope’s conference on women’s issues.
The panel included politicians – Kirstie Williams,...
UK drug policy reform
Off track?
Drug treatment is being derailed by the sector’s refusal to push for reform, says Ian Sherwood
The distressing reality of drug dependence alters little...
Come Together
This year’s exhibition area was a thriving hub of activity, with a colourful array of stands from service user groups and services. The Shenanigans...
The right focus
An effective review of commissioning will need input and inspiration from everyone involved – practitioners, commissioners, and especially those using services. DDN reports.
There have...
Surviving and thriving: Kaleidoscope at 50
‘It’s down to you guys that people get a chance of a new life.’ Eleanor Conway pauses for a serious moment during a ‘stand-up’...
Services without frontiers
Learning from peers across Europe has helped to enhance services at home, writes the team at Phoenix Futures
Phoenix Futures has been involved over the...
A Sure Start
One of the key tasks of the national recovery champion role is to bring people together within the addictions field to tackle a common...
Adapt and thrive
Drugscope's recent conference focused on how the sector could deliver high quality services in uncertain times. DDN reports.
The drug and alcohol treatment sector was...
Comment from the substance misuse sector
Letters and comment
DDN welcomes your Letters Please email the editor, claire@cjwellings.com, or post them to DDN, CJ Wellings Ltd, 57 High Street, Ashford, Kent...
Treatment crisis
Action is needed now to stop the spiralling costs of buprenorphine, says Roz Gittins.
We want to offer high quality, safe, cost-effective services to as...
Stemming the tide
Rising demand, increasing bureaucracy and a client group with complex needs are just some of the challenges facing alcohol services. Hazel Jordan offers a...
Coronavirus advice
Information, advice, and useful resources on coronavirus for treatment services, service users, and people who use drugs.
Please send us any information you or your...
Home from home
Keeping the home ties strong is one important way that Phoenix Futures keeps their residents’ motivation high, says Liam Ward
Aligned with government guidance –...
UK drug policy
Get real
The government’s drug policies are not grounded in reality, says law student Alice Gambell
Reading the government’s annual review of its 2010 drugs strategy,...
Public health focus for drugs and alcohol?
Will Public Health England and a new ministerial team help to refocus drug and alcohol policy, or are they empty exercises in rebranding? DDN...
Aiming High
Even in the most difficult circumstances recovery is always possible, says Jody Leach.
Harm reduction on a knife edge
Disinvestment in harm reduction is hurting services and failing clients, say those struggling to maintain life-saving provision. DDN reports.
‘A couple of weeks ago I...
Staying Alert
The sector has risen admirably to the challenges of COVID-19. But it needs to remain vigilant when it comes to what happens next
European Network of People who Use Drugs
Hands across Europe
It’s an exciting time for activism and advocacy among people who use drugs, says Mags Maher
For the first time in years, Europe...
All in a day’s work – DDN 10 year special
Many things have changed over the last decade for the DDN team – staff, premises, and even the introduction of canine office mascots. But...
Crack Cocaine – Cracks in the mirror
Could a recent growth in crack cocaine use indicate its move to social acceptability – and how should we respond? Kevin Flemen examines the...
Partner up
Co-production and partnership working can help organisations thrive in troubled times. DDN hears from the MD of Equinox Care and Penrose Criminal Justice Services,...
Time for social action
Social action is the way forward in tackling complex needs, hears DDN.
The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Complex Needs and Dual Diagnosis recently...
Access all areas
Phoenix Futures’ Scottish Residential Service is transforming life for clients with disabilities
Survey demonstrates need for improvement of hepatitis C services
An estimated 160,000 people are living with hepatitis C in England. Yet, in 2015, fewer than 12,000 people were diagnosed and fewer than 10,000...
Safeguarding conference 2015 – playing safe
Are we doing enough to protect children from their parents’ drug and alcohol use? At a recent safeguarding conference there was plenty of cause...
The importance of harnessing service user activism
Harnessing service user activism is the key to stopping drug and alcohol services sliding further down the list of ‘targeted outcomes’, says Martyn Cheesman
The...
2015 RCGP national conference
Better together
With primary care facing its severest set of challenges, delegates at the 2015 RCGP national conference argued vociferously for GPs to remain at the...
Burden of grief
Helping families through the guilt and anger of losing a loved one can be gruelling for practitioners. Esther Harries looks at how to be...
Nothing to declare
In the third part of his personal story, Mark Dempster tries his luck with smuggling hash and finds some unsavoury new ‘friends’.
Terrorist Brian had been...
In it together
A new set of resources to support access to mutual aid has been published by Public Health England. DDN reports.
Supportive peer relationships with people...
Case dismissed
Why are recommendations to improve custody-community transitions being routinely ignored when so many lives are at stake? DDN reports.
As drug-related death rates continue to...
From little acorns…
There’s still time to book... https://www.drinkanddrugsnews.com/conference
‘Don’t get mad, get organised’ said Si Parry from Morph at the first DDN national service user involvement conference in...
Recovery in the North West
Recovery rising
Ray Jenkins and Mark Gilman talk about the North West’s contributions to the UK recovery movement
The North West of England has a...
The Heat is On – Doctor Wars (part two)
In the second part of ‘Doctor Wars’, Bill Nelles describes the tumultuous days of the 1980s.
Read part one here.
By 1983, the cold war among...
By hook or by crook
We’re not reaching people with problematic cannabis use says Lizzie McCulloch, whose report Black sheep offers a new approach to policy and treatment.
Cannabis is...
Rodrigo Duterte’s punishing regime
The president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, has been taking the ‘war on drugs’ to extremes that have shocked the world. DDN asks what,...
Catching the wave
'A people are as healthy and confident as the stories they tell themselves. Sick storytellers can make their nations sick. And sick nations make for sick storytellers.’ Ben...
Vital care
Gordon Hay talks to DDN about RADAR, a new pathway for alcohol-related A&E admissions into residential alcohol detoxification in Greater Manchester.
An estimated 35 per...
National forum for action
Delegates at the National Needle Exchange Forum’s annual conference heard inspiring examples of taking harm reduction to the next level. James Pierce reports.
More than...
Access for autism
Are alcohol services meeting the needs of adults with autism? Alcohol Concern and the University of Bath are working to improve support for this...
The emperor’s new clothes
Pockets of good practice throughout the country should not mask the fact that the ‘recovery agenda’ is failing, says Howard King.
Since the end of...
Be The Change
Why should you be at the national service user involvement conference this year? DDN answers your questions
What is ‘Be the Change’?
Be the Change is...
The power of naloxone
As soon as Harbour Housing introduced naloxone a life was saved. A decade on they are looking back on one of their best decisions
Literacy and drug treatment
The writing’s on the wall
Literacy issues can be a barrier to participant engagement and successful outcomes in substance misuse treatment programmes. Richard Homer explores...
Spreading the word – Painkiller addiction
In the concluding article in a three-part series, DDN looks at much-needed services offering information and support
Buying codeine-based cough medicine from the chemist was...
How do we keep up this momentum?
Fewer young people than ever are entering treatment for heroin and crack problems, and more people of all ages are successfully completing their treatment,...
Life-saving knowledge
Launching our DDN good practice exchange, Natasha Bray of the Wallich Community House Team shares how she delivered a successful naloxone training initiative.
The Wallich...
CZAR GAZING – The golden years
As deputy drug czar for the Blair government, Mike Trace oversaw the expansion of today’s drug and alcohol treatment system. In the first of...
Uncharted territory
The coronavirus outbreak has transformed almost every aspect of our society at dizzying speed. DDN looks at the impact so far on treatment services...
Anxious times
Shocked by cases in his constituency, Bambos Charalambous MP is calling for government action on Xanax.
The powerful sedative Xanax is being used by young...
Keeping older users in treatment
Playing for Keeps
With Scotland experiencing ever-higher numbers of drug deaths, its government is developing a strategy to keep vulnerable older users in treatment. DDN...
Health Check
Public Health England chief executive Duncan Selbie describes how his organisation will work with the treatment sector, and promises that it will deliver ‘a...
Making it real
How do you bring a recovery conference to life? Jamie Gratton shares his experience.
We have just enjoyed our first Aquarius recovery conference, celebrating how...
LGBT drug support
User friendly
London Friend chief executive Monty Moncrieff talks to David Gilliver about the treatment needs of the LGBT community and the challenge posed by...
Cannabis class
With cannabis problems more prevalent than ever, Edinburgh charity Crew has devised a masterclass to share knowledge. Fergus Boden reports
Why are there are so few opportunities to...
Adios Recovery Riviera?
Why are we sending people miles away to rehab instead of supporting them to survive in their own community, asks Mark Gilman.
Read the full...
Roger Howard pens an open letter to the new recovery champion...
Roger Howard pens an open letter to the new recovery champion Ed Day, in response to our interview with him last month.
Potent cannabinoid use
Reinventing cannabis
Why are ‘risky’ and ‘unpleasant’ new versions of cannabis replacing the real thing? Adam Winstock shares findings from the Global Drug Survey.
For the last...
An equal partnership
Meaningful service user involvement is about give and take, says Mark Pryke.
Read the full article in DDN Magazine
My role is to help increase opportunities...
Consuming passion
Philippe Bonnet, founder of the Independent Consortium on Drug Consumption Rooms, says he won’t rest until there’s a room established for Birmingham’s 10,000 problem drug users. He talks to DDN.
When the Independent Drugs Commission...
Clinical Eye
Let’s get moving
Exercise could become a valuable part of the treatment plan, says Ishbel Straker.
I have recently started to work with a personal trainer,...
Save the children
Adfam’s recent report on the ingestion of drug treatment medications by children makes worrying reading. DDN looks at what could be done to reduce...
News from the substance misuse sector
Media savvy
The news and views from the national media
The alleged purpose of the Bill is to ‘protect hard-working citizens from the risks posed...
It’s all about you
Change Grow Live wants its new strategy to come from staff and service users, says Mark Moody.
Room at the table?
‘I will never make apologies for being emotive about something that affects us all,’ said Noreen Oliver MBE, opening Creating Recovery, The Recovery Group...
Harm Reduction International Conference
This year's Harm Reduction International Conference in Lithuania brought together delegates from across the globe to discuss the need to provide sufficient political and...
Substance-related bereavement
A right to grieve
How can support be improved for those bereaved through drug or alcohol-related deaths? A new set of guidelines offers advice for...
High stakes
While a harmless diversion for many, for some people gambling can mean losing everything – even their life. With treatment provision still sparse, Jody...
A foot in the door
Seeking healthcare can be daunting for homeless people. DDN visits a practice in north London that takes every opportunity to engage.
Read this article in...
Perfect partners
As competition for funding heats up it’s time for charities to form meaningful and creative partnerships with the private sector, says Eleanor Youdell.
Read this...
Consensus politics
As ever, this year’s meeting of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs proved a controversial affair. But despite failure to reach agreement on major issues...
Using life skills to aid recovery
Natural remedy
Kate Furey talks about how she used long-forgotten skills to get her life back on track
My life started to spiral out of control...
New horizons?
Will the coronavirus pandemic give us an opportunity to confront society’s problems, adopt radical policies, and emerge with steadfast solutions, asks Martin Blakebrough.
A crisis...
The right to challenge
Know your ground when contesting CQC inspection reports and ratings, says Samantha Cox. Read it in DDN.
CQC now has the power to rate independent...
Meeting the needs of anabolic steroid users
A growing problem
Users of anabolic steroids are now the biggest client group in many needle and syringe programmes. David Gilliver talks to Jim McVeigh...
Behind Closed Doors
Encouraging clients to talk about their childhood can help to release them from the long-suppressed trauma of abuse, as psychotherapist Elaine Rose explains
Enduring adversity...
Prescription opioids in the US
Too scared to prescribe
Dr Chris Ford finds that in the US, new restrictions have had negative consequences for patients in pain
I was recently discussing...
Off the record
A frontline drug worker, once a service user himself, warns against being taken in by the politicians’ promises
I grew up in a northern town...
Spanning the years
Recently retired substance misuse manager for Bristol City Council, Sue Bandcroft, reflects on decades of change in the sector.
‘There’s nothing like the sun shining to...
Commissioning is risking lives, say GPs
Poor commissioning practice is putting patients’ lives at stake,
declared the GPs’ conference.
‘Only recommission services if they are ineffective, dangerous or wasteful – not...
Upping their game
The sixth annual Recovery Games were the biggest and best yet, says Stuart Green.
Ahead of September’s Recovery Month, people from across Britain gathered to...
Open market
How easy is it to have any drug you want delivered to your door with no questions asked? This and other issues raised at...
Free to breathe
Should e-cigarettes be provided free to smokers who cannot or will not quit, asks Neil McKeganey.
While smoking rates have steadily declined in recent years,...
Changing negative behaviours in treatment
Promotional feature
Challenging attitudes
A decade of experience has shaped Intuitive Thinking Skills’ successful approach to attitude change, as Peter Bentley explains
In 2003, I was coming...
Staying alive
Could the recovery agenda be killing people? Alex Boyt makes the case from his own experience.
In the mid ’80s, when I found a prescribing...
The place to grow
FDAP has been refurbished and offers much in the way of professional support, says Kate Halliday.
Read the full article in DDN Magazine
When the Federation...
Specialist recovery housing
No place like home
Phoenix Future’s new report Building recovery friendly communities makes the case for specialist recovery housing as a pathway to long-term recovery. Karen...
New psychoactive substances
Psychoactive challenge
New psychoactive substances don’t show up in mandatory prison drug tests and their use level in jails appears to be soaring, with worrying...
At the cutting edge
DDN looks back at a year that saw cuts continue to bite, deaths continue to rise, ‘county lines’ become headline news – and a...
Driving Change
The theme of this year’s Hit Hot Topics conference was ‘The Road Ahead’. As each speaker began to explore the theme, it became obvious...
Recovery thrives
As Recovery Month continues to go from strength to strength with fundraisers, festivals and fun, DDN hears three inspiring accounts of this year’s activities.
A...
Believe in better
Having to close Build on Belief because of coronavirus was like losing a limb, but they’ll soon be back to doing what they do best.
All the world’s a stage
The arts can play a vital and powerful role in recovery, says Katrina Lahmann
That we all have our roles in the theatre of life...
Time to talk
Talking therapies are among the many options that should be offered alongside OST, says Clive Hallam.
Recently, a post on social media considered the question...
Voyage of discovery
With its Voyage of Recovery just completed, David Gilliver talks to Phoenix Futures chief executive Karen Biggs about overcoming polarisation and embracing change
When Phoenix...
On the right path
With Alcohol Awareness Week this month, Claire Carlow tells us how Forward’s alcohol pathway is revolutionising treatment in East Kent
When Forward took over the...
A new normal
Within days of lockdown being announced, Lancashire’s recovery communities had transformed their way of life on a grand scale, as Chris Lee explains.
We are...
Engaging with the experts
Michael Gilbert talks to DDN about StreetRx.com, a new website that encourages the exchange of information between drug users while also promoting harm reduction
Meeting...
Work, rest and play
Addiction can be like swimming in shark- infested waters, but the recovery community are like people in a life raft holding out their hands,...
In the Picture
The parliamentary group discussion moved to Zoom for its first meeting since the crisis hit services.
London calling
This year Blenheim, one of the UK's leading substance misuse charities, celebrates 50 years of delivering drug and alcohol treatment services across London. Blenheim...
A sense of purpose
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a perfect match for the recovery model, says Mark Webster
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, known as ACT, is the first...
Finding a voice
Katie’s experience of stigma made her determined to help herself and others – the beginning of Adfam’s #StigmaMakesMeFeel campaign. She shares her story, with...
Vote of confidence
As Phoenix Futures launches its new strategy, with the strapline ‘The charity that is confident about recovery’, DDN hears about the ideas behind it...
Adfam/ DDN conference ‘What about me?’
The first Adfam/DDN conference for families affected by drug and alcohol use urged carers from all over the country to make their voices heard....
Potent struggle
Working with an aid project in Uganda brought Martin Blakebrough face to face with the optimism of community growth and achievement – undermined by...
Leaner and keener
In a climate of austerity the new drug strategy must grow from our successes, says Paul Hayes on behalf of Collective Voice
Next month the...
Final destination?
‘The road to recovery – political destination or patient journey?’ was the theme of this year’s RCGP and SMMGP primary care conference. DDN reports.
‘None...
Domestic violence: Stopping the hurt
Perpetrators of domestic violence are being helped to challenge and change their behaviour, as Phil Price explains.
For all the evidence linking domestic violence with...
Brand New Day
Dr Ed Day has just been appointed as the government’s drug recovery champion. He talks to DDN about the challenges and opportunities of the...
Body and soul
Therapists Lois Skilleter and colleague Sal Crosland gave free tasters of their energy-balancing treatments to delegates throughout the day. Lois explains some of the...
Rising tide
The ‘tough on drugs’ approach is impractical, outdated and costly in every sense, according to a meeting of the APPG for Drug Policy Reform.
Considering...
Captured on camera
A roving Recovery Street Film Festival aims to change public perceptions of addiction, as the organising team explains
This summer will see the launch of...
From our foreign correspondent
In her first international column Chris Ford looks at Ireland’s lack of naloxone provision
Noticing a number from abroad, I answered my phone. Before I...
Naloxone distribution
Fast forward on naloxone distribution
Progress on naloxone distribution is still slow and inconsistent throughout the UK. DDN asked naloxone champion Philippe Bonnet for some...
I’m worth… survey
Thank you for taking the time to answer questions about your work in relation to hepatitis C.
Your answers will be anonymised and will...
Take-home naloxone in prisons
Research consultant, Arun Sondhi, from the Centre for Public Innovation (CPI), talks to DDN about the findings of his latest research into take-home naloxone...
The long game
Against the backdrop of round after round of ‘winner takes all’ retendering, Dr Gordon Morse calls for commissioners to consider evolution over revolution
There can’t be...
Man of principle
Principal officer at the Police Federation, George Gallimore, talks to David Gilliver about how PCCs could affect the relationship between the criminal justice and treatment...
Hep van man
With hepatitis C still massively under-prioritised, DDN hears how The Hepatitis C Trust’s testing van is taking services out on the road.
‘It probably adds up...
User involvement at the 8th service user conference
In the spotlight
Sophie Sherrington came to the conference as a delegate but found herself on stage singing True Colours to rapturous applause
I came to...
Doubling Down
With World Hepatitis Day on 28 July, now is the time to redouble our efforts towards hepatitis C elimination, says Rachel Halford.
World Hepatitis Day...
Post-its from practice
Sometimes the drug or alcohol problem isn’t obvious, says Dr Steve Brinksman
Marco rarely came to the surgery. He was a 44-year-old restaurant owner with...
Care at Windmill House
The Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust talk about the specialised, individualised support they offer
Windmill House is a specialist unit in Chertsey, Surrey,...
The explosion that never happened
At the end of the 1980s the threat of a crack epidemic in the UK loomed large as we scrambled to take heed of...
CQC inspections
Get in gear
David Finney guides you through the new CQC inspections
The Care Quality Commission has just published guidance on the new way in which...
The state we’re in
Forcing stable people off their heroin scripts and into chaos is evidence of a British drug treatment system in terminal decline, says Erin O’Mara
‘I...
A vision to serve
At an event organised by the London Drug and Alcohol Policy Forum, the challenge of not losing sight of the individual in the new...
A safe space
The threat of COVID-19 has prompted Phoenix Futures to make their rehabs even more of a sanctuary
Complex Care
Have you noticed the world is getting more complicated? It's not just technology that's stretching our capabilities but, in the addictions field, it's the...
Knowledge exchange
Drug-related deaths:
NHS Trusts from across England came together to mark a vital new initiative in tackling drug-related deaths, as Danny Hames reports.
For a number...
Engaging dependent drinkers
Pathway to change
Mike Ward talks about a new project that is aiming to engage dependent drinkers with treatment services
Often those of us working in...
Losing the legacy
Mark Reid’s alcohol problems started with his dad and became the focus of his life. He describes how Nacoa gave him the insight and...
Harm reduction in Belfast
Belfast’s injecting drugs crisis has prompted a call for action – to bring a drug consumption room to the city as quickly as possible....
Scottish drug deaths
Stark statistics
Scotland has recorded its highest ever number of drug-related deaths. DDN looks at what’s behind this bleak trend, and what could be done to...
Identity crisis
UK governments agree that above all what they want out of treatment is ‘recovery’. Some of the most marginal, damaged and unconventional of people...
Promotional feature : An honest relationship
It’s time to stop relying on outdated treatment models and offer clients an approach they can relate to, says Kenneth Robinson
One of the most challenging...
Giving the best chance
This year’s NHSSMPA conference was dedicated to creating lasting behaviour change, as DDN reports.
Read the full report in October's DDN Magazine
‘How can we give...
Prison perspectives
A first-person account of nearly a decade at the frontline of prison substance misuse services.
Last year I resigned from my position as a service...
Making alcohol services accessible
Avoiding the airlock
Entering alcohol services can feel like a trap to the uninitiated. Mark Holmes looks at why technology may offer more people the...
Playing the long game
Tony Adams’ glittering football career could not mask deep-seated problems that needed to be tackled. He shared his story at the NHSSMPA conference.
‘You don’t...
High risk strategy
Failure to provide naloxone at the point of release for most prisoners is putting lives at risk, says John Jolly.
Read this article in DDN
Those...
Online support for women in recovery
Women first
Annalice Sibley talks about how she set up an online support group to help women in recovery
After working with women in substance misuse...
A smack in the eye — Michael Linnell’s graphic harm reduction...
Thirty years after Michael Linnell’s first graphic harm reduction campaigns burst onto the scene he recalls the outrage – and the results – that spurred him...
Hit Hot Topics
Stigma, misunderstanding and a lack of communication cloud our policy and practice on drugs, said speakers at HIT Hot Topics. DDN reports on their ideas for...
A place to connect: Addaction’s two-day conference
Addaction’s two-day conference addressed emotional wellbeing while celebrating the value of shared experience, as DDN reports.
‘Learn, share, connect and celebrate,’ urged David Badcock, Addaction’s...
Up close and interpersonal
Interpersonal group therapy has huge potential to help people in their recovery. However, ongoing supervised practice and support are critical in training effective facilitators, says Dr Tim Leighton.
Clear steer on alcohol
Launching the Alcohol Charter, key figures from the sector called for a definitive alcohol strategy based on evidence, as DDN reports.
Read the full article...
Dark days review of the year 2015
There wasn’t very much to celebrate in 2015, a year that saw both England and Scotland record their highest ever number of drug-related fatalities,...
Treatment challenges of novel psychoactive substances
Novel ideas
Dima Abdulrahim talks about meeting the treatment challenges of novel psychoactive substances
When it comes to managing substance misuse, there is an existing –...
Commissioning: What’s the Name of the Game?
Has commissioning lost its way – or are there opportunities to be grasped? DDN reports.
The commissioning structure needs an overhaul, according to the...
What price life?
The failure to roll out naloxone distribution in England prompted a multidisciplinary group to meet in London to campaign for change. DDN reports
Last year...
Creating a future
Prison can be an opportunity to change deep-rooted behaviour and begin to flourish, say the team at Addaction tell DDN.
‘I have learnt that the crime...
Diverted methadone
Kill or cure?
Is it time for us to reappraise our relationship with the ‘life-saving’ drug methadone? Dave Marteau discusses the evidence
Since the early 1970s,...
The main man
One of the key figures in the story of drug treatment in England, ex-NTA head Paul Hayes talks to David Gilliver for DDN’s tenth anniversary issue.
Paul...
Prescription for action
At a parliamentary debate, ADS brought together experts to tackle the pervasive problem of addiction to prescription drugs.
Last month Addiction Dependency Solutions (ADS) held...
PCCs lead the call for change
It used to be that senior police, like politicians, would only speak out on drug policy from the safety of retirement. These days, however,...
On the frontline
‘I didn’t know that wasn’t what you were meant to do in the drugs field,’ says Mat Southwell of the participative approach he adopted...
Winning attitude
Being recognised through a national award made Catherine Larkin and Danny Hames realise the value of Inclusion’s eager adoption of a naloxone strategy.
Last November...
Out of commission
With the government’s long-awaited alcohol strategy showing no signs of materialising any time soon, the newly launched Commission on Alcohol Harm is hoping to fill in some of the gaps.
Supervised humiliation?
In the real world, methadone provision too often means diversion, using on top – and humiliating supervised consumption.
In search of excellence – new phase of CQC
David Finney gives his guide to understanding the next phase of CQC Inspection.
Read the full article in DDN magazine
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has...
Frontline reporting
The afternoon’s interactive session heard some inspiring accounts of what service users were doing to make their voices heard.
‘Things are changing, and everything is...
Can positive psychology help to treat dual diagnosis?
Katalin Ujhelyi, Jerome Carson and Ioanna Melidou share results of a new study.
People with dual diagnosis – co-occurring substance misuse and mental health issues...
working it out
Four lively workshops saw delegates debate healthcare, user groups, media and enterprise.
Doctor’s orders.
The right to treatment workshop heard from GPs and service users on...
Reaching out: painkillers
How do we find and treat the ‘hidden cohort’ of patients addicted to opioid painkillers? In the second of a three-part series, DDN reports
‘People...
Is Scotland closer to a consensus on drug treatment?
Scotland’s latest set of drug death statistics made for grim reading and triggered a war of words in parliament and the press. But could...
Resounding Victory
National judo champion Stuart Pascoe thought his sports career was over as his alcohol use spiralled. But with help from Addaction the 46-year-old has...
Face to face
October's recovery summit in Scotland brought together people from all walks of life to explore what they could do for recovery, as Kuladharini explains.
Scotland’s...
Opportunity knocks
KCA chief executive Ryan Campbell talks to David Gilliver about how services can take advantage of the new commissioning landscape.
‘There’s a great deal of...
Filling the gap
The NNEF was encouraged by the success of its first free training day for needle exchange staff, says the forum’s chair Jamie Bridge
‘We have...
Semantic challenge
The language of new drugs can be unhelpful at best and risky at worst. Kevin Flemen offers a guide
Our KFx training course Cats, Bees...
Under pressure
The celebrity craze for stress pills is even reaching schoolchildren – should we be concerned? Kevin Flemen looks at the risks and availability of...
Helping families of former members of the UK Armed Forces
Family Force
A new project is reaching out to families of former members of the UK Armed Forces with substance use problems, as Rob Stebbings...
Safe Corner
What would persuade a city to accept a drug consumption room? Natalie Davies examines the argument.
Glasgow could become the site of the UK’s first...
On borrowed time
The delayed drug strategy – and lack of plan for an alcohol strategy – is pulling the lifeline from a sector in crisis, hears...
Height of awareness: peer-to-peer overdose prevention
Peer-to-peer naloxone initiatives are proving an effective way to tackle overdose risk. Lee Collingham describes how SCUF are grasping the opportunity in Nottingham.
Read the...
Walk this way
Walk this way How does it feel to take part in the UK Recovery Walk? Four participants tell us about their experiences in Greater...
Getting streetwise
The Ana Liffey Project is a national addiction service dedicated to harm reduction – Stephen Parkin talks to director Tony Duffin about their innovative...
‘All or nothing’ – are 12-steps right for everyone?
The 12-step fellowships are a life-saver for some – but for others, the concept of total surrender can do more harm than good. Alex...
A prescription for pain
Paul was prescribed OxyContin after an industrial injury. But that was just the start of his problems.
My name is Paul. I’m 51 and live...