Spreading roots
How do you make recovery visible and relevant to a diverse community? Ashley Gibson of the Unity Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service shares Cumbria’s...
The Naloxone Action Group
Keep nagging on naloxone, says the naloxone action Group
DDN listened to a lively lunchtime meeting of The Naloxone Action Group (NAG) at the RCGP...
Breaking bonds
A new study by the universities of Manchester and Brunel, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, has been looking at the incidence of recurrent care proceedings in family courts...
Vital connections
Communities and conversation are key to making recovery a reality, delegates heard at Addaction’s annual recovery conference. Jill Stevenson reports
Communities working together was a...
Getting Engaged
With drug-related deaths once again hitting record levels, it’s never been more urgent to make sure we’re properly engaging with so-called ‘chaotic clients’.
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...
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...
Across the great divide
Contemplating a landscape of change and fear, HIT Hot Topics speakers called for solidarity. DDN reports.
‘When we meet someone, we ask what music they...
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...
Skills update
What’s the latest on professional training? Nadine Singh explains the DANOS review.
Skills for Health is undertaking a review of the National Occupational Standards (NOS)...
Treatment complete?
Why are we failing so many people with hepatitis C, even those already in drug treatment, asks Dr Steve Brinksman
There is still a lot...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Another Story – Social media is stigmatising drug users
Social media is full of stigmatising language about drug use. We should be using powerful first-person stories to create a more positive picture.
The Fear Inside
A study of people who used heroin in prison gives vital clues on reaching out to this significant and vulnerable cohort. Lana Durjava shares...
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...
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...
Drugs, Alcohol and Justice Cross-Party Parliamentary Group.
Good commissioning goes beyond purchasing, hears DDN.
A robust discussion on commissioning was the focus of the year’s final meeting of the Drugs, Alcohol and...
The Feeling’s Mutual
The impact of COVID-19 has shown that mutual aid groups like AA may be even more beneficial than we realised.
Green zone
Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion Caroline Lucas explains why she wants the government to acknowledge that ‘current policy is flawed.'
‘As an MP for...
Hidden faces
To commemorate 30 years of supporting family members affected by loved ones’ drug and alcohol use, Adfam has launched a photo exhibition that celebrates...
It’s where you’re at…
Harm reduction should be about ‘meeting people where they’re at’, according to the recent HIT Hot topics conference. Jamie Bridge reports.
Last month HIT hosted...
Height of ecstasy
Summer brings the festivals – and a new young crowd experimenting with MDMA. Kevin Flemen gives the guide to staying safe
‘Who is Leah Betts?’...
Zooming in
Technology is helping to make sure that recovery workers and clients stay connected.
Right to choose
With family planning a sensitive and controversial subject, the sexual health needs of service users can be overlooked. Rosie Mundt-Leach tells DDN how a...
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...
New drugs minister pledges support
Addaction redoubles commitment to tackling stigma
We are determined to deal with the scourge that is stigma,’ said Lord Carlile at Addaction’s 50th birthday event...
It’s all about you
Change Grow Live wants its new strategy to come from staff and service users, says Mark Moody.
A moment to reflect
Addaction started 50 years ago with a desperate mother writing to the paper about her son’s addiction. Much has changed but the charity’s purpose grows...
A different way
Stopping the rise of drug-related deaths needs an innovative approach – such as paying drug users to stop using, says Neil McKeganey.
The recent report...
A fighting chance
Military veterans do not tend to do well in traditional treatment settings. Jacquie Johnston-Lynch explains how Tom Harrison House is tackling the challenges head on
I...
Let’s get radical – confronting fears on harm reduction
Harm reduction measures can be seen as controversial within the wider population, but isn’t confronting public fears an essential stage in moving the agenda...
Step by step
Reintroducing people to stable employment and supporting them in the workplace are challenges that can be met with the right policies and culture –...
CZAR GAZING – 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...
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...
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...
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...
Mutually beneficial
Mental health and substance use treatments can complement each other in vital ways, says Peter Lindsayhall.
I am a dual-qualified mental health nurse and psychotherapist,...
Harm reduction at the NNEF meeting
On the front line
Matt Johnstone brings harm reduction news from the annual NNEF meeting
The National Needle Exchange Forum (NNEF) held its annual meeting in...
Meet Oscar, the DDN baby!
Jason and Elizabeth met at a DDN conference and brought little Oscar to meet us at this year’s event
Four years ago I was at...
CZAR GAZING – Finding the right balance
As deputy drug czar for the Blair government, Mike Trace oversaw the expansion of today’s drug and alcohol treatment system. In the fifth of...
Right Place, Right Time
A stressful year is giving rise to a fresh approach to mental health at Phoenix Futures, as DDN reports.
‘People in treatment are keen to...
Recovery Street Film Festival 2015
Share your story
Storytelling through film can play an important role in recovery, says Lou Boyd
The Recovery Street Film Festival was founded as a way...
The road less travelled
Methadone’s dominance over Suboxone in substitute prescribing may have more to do with cost than effectiveness. It could be time for a reassessment, say...
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
Prepare for your CQC Inspection
Definitely, maybe…
David Finney tells you how to prepare for your CQC Inspection, ahead of the latest changes
I wonder if, every time the doorbell rings, you imagine...
Sector specific
On the eve of the publication of the second part of the Carol Black review, delegates at a Westminster Social Policy Forum event debated...
The Mother of Invention
It’s now almost six months since lockdown revolutionised the way services operate. But could this have actually led to an increase in service user...
Views from the substance misuse sector
Media savvy
The news and views from the national media
Yes, politicians who abandon the failed mantra of the drug war risk the incandescent rage of...
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.
DDN Conference 2019
Speakers at the DDN conference embraced the theme ‘Keep on Moving’. What came out very strongly was that we need to take others along...
Take part in the Global Drug Survey
Global Drug Survey 2018 – the latest version of the world’s largest drug survey – has just been launched. Prof Adam Winstock asks for your...
Media savvy
The news and views from the national media
Isn’t it time for a wider discussion on the potential effects of safe, regulated cannabis consumption on...
Back to reality – treating ARBD
Getting the right treatment can reverse effects of alcohol-related brain damage, says Alyson Smith.
Read the full article in June 2018 issue of DDN
Alcohol-related brain...
The realms of possibility
Sunny Dhadley talks to David Gilliver about peer mentoring, raising awareness and the importance of seizing the moment
‘Anything’s possible if you make the most...
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...