CQC consultation: Have your say!
Don’t miss the chance to change CQC inspections, says David Finney.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has recently issued a consultation on changes to the...
Bang for your buck
The launch of the ‘Decency, safety, security’ strategy for prisons was greeted with mixed reactions by the Drugs, Alcohol, and Justice Cross-Party Parliamentary Group....
‘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...
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...
Promotional Feature: Recovery in the Community Conference
Everyone Leads:
Building Leadership from the Community Up
Headline Speaker Announcement:
Paul Schmitz CEO, Leadership Inside Out
We will be opening this year’s RiTC6 by asking you to look...
A step too far?
Stanton Peele challenges the received wisdom of the 12-step approach
I recently received this email from a UK addictions worker:
‘Stanton, I was in a public...
New alcohol medication Selincro is steeped in controversy
New alcohol medication Selincro has had a controversial route to market, as Mike Ashton explains.
In 2013 Danish pharmaceutical company Lundbeck was authorised by the...
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...
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...
The Buddhist way
The practice of mindfulness can be a powerful tool in preventing relapse and supporting recovery, says Dr Paramabandhu Groves.
Mindfulness has been a cornerstone of Buddhist...
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...
We need to talk about diamorphine
The new diamorphine programmes may not be the holy grail that some think, says Nick Goldstein.
As I’m sure many of you have noticed, diamorphine...
The power of connection
A sensitive approach can be a lifeline to women whose lives revolve around drugs and sex work, as DDN reports.
‘Without these guys I probably...
Bill Nelles – Doctor Wars (part one)
In the first part of his two part series 'Doctor Wars' Bill Nelles describes how the running battles between substance misuse clinicians in the...
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...
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,...
Heroin Assisted Treatment – A helping hand
Heroin Assisted Treatment (HAT) is showing dramatic progress in transforming lives. DDN reports.
‘Life was shit. I would rob Peter to pay Paul. I’d cry...
No smoke without fire?
Is the Welsh Government right to propose a ban on the use of e-cigarettes in public places, or does it risk seriously undermining tobacco...
iCAAD: ‘Let’s push things forward!’
The iCAAD team are creating a vibrant and dynamic knowledge exchange – and they want you to be involved. Read on to find out...
My, how you’ve changed!
What has the past decade meant to you and your role? What have been the most significant changes to the sector? And what will...
Pole to pole
Is harm reduction the primary goal, or acceptable only in the service of eliminating drug use? Mike Ashton examines two very different sets of...
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...
In mind and body
This year’s HIT Hot Topics conference delved into neuroscience to challenge our perceptions of drugs and drug taking. Max Daly reports
The fervour around crack...
Are you involved?
Asking delegates from all over the country for a picture of service user involvement brought forth some distressing stories of groups being dissolved, dysfunctional partnerships...
Giving Voice
The morning’s second session, chaired by Peter Hunter, allowed audience members to put their concerns to some of the sector’s key players
The new drug...
Local news from the substance misuse field
DDN takes a look at local news from the substance misuse field across the country
Self-harm help goes mobile
A new app has been launched...
Sheffield Addiction Recovery Research Group
Sharing knowledge
Andy Irving discusses a new project in Sheffield aimed at promoting research, good practice and joined-up working
A group of researchers from Sheffield Hallam...
How treatment services need to adapt to survive
If treatment is to survive it needs to make a more convincing case and reach out to new groups, argues Paul North.
Seven years ago...
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...
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...
More than my past
A new campaign is tackling stigma head on, says Asi Panditharatna. Read the full article in DDN Magazine
‘We believe everyone has the ability to...
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...
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...
Q&A – New legal rules around children in care
Solicitor Emma Roberts offers advice around the new legal guidelines around children in care during the coronavirus pandemic.
In light of the current health crisis...
Media savvy
Who’s been saying what..? DDN’s round-up of what’s being said in the national papers
We do not want drug legalisation by the back door. But at...
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...
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...
A different pain
James Elander shares his new research on painkiller addiction and how to spot the warning signs.
Addiction to prescribed pain relief is a serious and...
Battle lines
For many ex-service personnel the transition to civilian life can be a struggle, and it’s all too tempting to turn to the bottle to...
Challenging the drinks industry
Fight the power
Six months into her new job, Alcohol Concern chief executive Jackie Ballard talks to DDN's David Gilliver about communication, information, and standing...
Community chest
This year’s RiTC conference asked what a recovery community could and should mean. DDN listened to the debate
‘Whether through peer-led and mutual aid recovery initiatives...
Supporting vulnerable women
Take a bow
Nicky Goulder talks about how an acting workshop is supporting vulnerable women in east London
For over five years, arts charity Create has helped...
New era for CQC regulation
A lot has changed since the advent of the CQC and there are more changes on the way. David Finney explains what services can...
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...
Helping addicted parents
More than 2.6m people have seen Addicted Parents, the two-part BBC documentary on Phoenix Futures’ specialist family service. James Armstrong explains the background to...
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?’...
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...
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...
Is anyone in?
Decent long-term housing has been identified as one of the biggest determinants of recovery, so how can we address a critical lack of provision?...
Journeys of recovery
A team of cyclists made up of staff from Humankind’s services across the country completed an epic 170-mile Ride for Recovery from Manchester to...
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...
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...
Vital connections
Most drug-related deaths are of people not in treatment. DDN visits Equinox outreach team in Brighton to hear how they engage with a growing...
Substance misuse safeguarding
On the safe side
We mustn’t be afraid to engage with parents about sensitive safeguarding issues, says Kevin Crowley
As a social care and health charity,...
The last word
As the UKDPC wraps up its work, Roger Howard looks back on six years of helping drug policy become ‘fitter for purpose’ and considers...
Back to Nature: Recovery Project at Phoenix Futures Shipley Park
Phoenix Futures describe how guests at their recent Shipley Park open day were able to witness the positive impact a beautiful natural setting can...
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...
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...
Review of the year
Hanging on in there
Another year of tightened purse strings and record drug deaths for a weary and beleaguered sector, compounded by the shock closure...
Dame Carol Black Review – Next Steps
Dame Black has spoken loud and clear. How policy makers respond will be crucial.
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...
A sense of purpose – full referenced version
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, known as ACT, is the first evidence-based treatment for addiction that shares the same philosophy as the recovery model. It...
Counter culture
As the friendly and regular face at the heart of community-based medicine, the pharmacist has an opportunity to profoundly influence welfare, as DDN reports.
‘If...
Doorstep Challenge
Strong partnerships could overturn nimbyism and make supervised injecting facilities a reality, DDN reports.
Read the full article in DDN Magazine
A supervised injecting facility (SIF,...
Picture This
The day’s opening session heard a range of passionate presentations on the theme of getting your message across
‘I didn’t know how long I’d had hep...
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....
More choice, more options
New versions of drugs are constantly being developed and trialled, including injections of naltrexone and buprenorphine that can last up to six months, as...
Review of the year 2019
Cash strapped Christmas
Battered by Brexit, the public went to the polls yet again. In the treatment sector, meanwhile, more long-established facilities are forced to...
Support. Don’t punish
On 26 June 2013 – the UN’s International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking – 26 cities around the world came together to...
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...
Let’s look ahead by investing in young people, says Mentor UK
We need to look ahead – prevention work with young people is an investment in the future, says Mentor UK's chief executive Michael O'Toole.
Many...
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,...
No hiding place
Efforts to stop drugs from being smuggled into prisons are failing – so why aren’t we tackling prisoners’ drug use through universal testing, argues...
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...
Ketamine use: advice from the experts on harm reduction
The growing popularity of ketamine use is not matched by knowledge within treatment services. Sara Woods went to harm reductionists Mat Southwell and Amy...
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...
Safe Space
Wales is gearing up to offer medically supervised injecting centres – an initiative that can’t happen soon enough, says Ifor Glyn
There is a growing...
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...
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.
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...
A moral imperative
One year on, an alliance of 13 NHS trusts is gaining momentum in addressing the failings of the sector and developing more effective pathways...
Too close to home
As a well-travelled photographer, Andrew McNeill was used to seeing scenes of despair. But when he set out to photograph people affected by addiction...
Stay ahead of CQC
Pleased with your CQC inspection or bruised by the experience? David Finney gives you the key issues.
The first phase of inspections of substance misuse...
Joining the dots
This year’s GPs’ conference had the tricky task of linking primary care to each element of the new and uncertain public health agenda, while...
Review of the year 2013
DDN looks back on a year that saw the drug treatment landscape transformed with the end of the NTA and the advent of Public...
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...
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...
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...
Hep C Positive
Positive Action
As NHS reforms put the future of hepatitis C services in the UK in question, Phil Spalding tells Kayleigh Hutchins how the Hep...
Harnessing the potential
Is the sector ready for co-production, asks Alistair Sinclair.
‘Co-production is an idea whose time has come,’ states Right here right now: taking co-production into...
My Recovery My Choice
One year on, Jude Norton reviews the progress of an effective information campaign.
In 2012 it was estimated that 95,000 people across England and Wales...
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...
One size fits nobody
With much anecdotal evidence that people are losing their OST of choice, a meeting was held at the DDN conference to ask, ‘are you...
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...
Painful inheritance – NACOA’s annual lecture 2016
NACOA’s (the National Association for Children of Alcoholics) annual lecture at the House of Commons set out an action plan to give the issue...
CZAR GAZING – How do we get more for less?
As deputy drug czar for the Blair government, Mike Trace oversaw the expansion of today’s drug and alcohol treatment system. In the fourth of...
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...
Risks of pregabalin and gabapentin
Death rates have risen dramatically for prescription drugs pregabalin and gabapentin. Let’s be aware of the risks, says Clare Kingsbury-Bell.
Drug-related deaths linked to pregabalin...
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...
Treatment at Chandos House
A dog’s life
James Dickinson shares the story of Bert, the unofficial head of treatment at Chandos House
Born to two workaholic and exercise-addicted parents, Bert...
Tough measures
Kit Caless examines some of the issues behind the rush to outlaw new psychoactive substances (NPS)
The third reading of the Psychoactive Substances Bill took...
A space to listen
Dual Diagnosis Anonymous is a new peer-led resource for people with co-existing mental health and addiction problems, as Dr Raffaella Milani explains.
Coexisting substance misuse...
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...
Opening new doors
After running for 25 years in Glasgow, Phoenix Futures’ Scottish residential service has moved to a new home within the city.
Read the full article...
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...
Get the Picture
State of the Nation: One of the day’s lunchtime sessions heard delegates debate the current state of English drug policy
‘The subtitle of this session...
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...
It’s all about you
Change Grow Live wants its new strategy to come from staff and service users, says Mark Moody.
Nothing to declare
In the fourth part of his personal story, Mark Dempster pushes his luck to the limits abroad and comes home for a dose of...
Naloxone advocacy
Let's get it out there
The day saw repeated calls for life-saving, and cost-effective, naloxone to be made more widely available.
‘The case for take-home naloxone...
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...
Cautious optimism
Just because minimum pricing is on the back burner doesn’t mean it’s time to get despondent, hear delegates at Alcohol Concern’s annual conference
‘I think...
Spread the word
It’s time for a new approach to drug policy, writes Jamie Bridge
This year, a global advocacy campaign is being launched to raise awareness 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...
Recovery and drug treatment
Tackling the deficit
Can an entrepreneurial recovery culture overtake an ailing treatment system? Mark Gilman, Peter McDermott and Peter Sheath examine the politics
‘Homophily’: the idea...
The bigger picture
Recovery should be about freedom. So why aren’t we embracing diversity, asks Mark Prest.
Picture an addict, what do you see? Someone white, probably working...
Emergency measures
Although Wales has largely escaped significant treatment budget cuts, drug deaths are still rising to alarming levels. Access, and evidence-based treatment, are key to...
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 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...
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...
Views from the substance misuse sector
Media savvy
The news and views from the national media
Buying ethically produced food, and making a statement about yourself by doing so, is now so...
End of life care for people with problematic substance use and...
A special supplement on end of life care for people with problematic substance use and their families.
People with problematic substance use, and their families,...
On the margins
DrugScope’s annual conference looked at equality and diversity in the sector at a time of shrinking budgets
‘We seem to be living in an increasingly...
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...
Competent compassion in services
We’ve lost that loving feeling
How can we refocus drug and alcohol services on competent compassion, asks Dr Joss Bray
The situation in drug and alcohol...
Zooming in
Technology is helping to make sure that recovery workers and clients stay connected.
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...
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...
Expert opinion
Analytical chemist Dr John Ramsey of TIC TAC is the media’s go-to man for an authoritative voice on new psychoactive substances. He talks to DDN's David...
Coronavirus: Uncharted Waters
The coronavirus outbreak is transforming almost every aspect of our society at dizzying speed. DDN looks at the impact so far on treatment services...
Family matters
The families of people who use substances are unforgivably overlooked. With an election looming, read Adfam’s own five-point manifesto.
News Focus
Who Benefits?
Benefit reform, long a thorny topic, seems set to become one of the year’s defining policy issues. DDN looks at the truth behind...
‘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....
Model of choice: a new addiction paradigm?
Trends come and go and nowhere more so than in the shifting world of addiction management, says Dr Julia Lewis.
The pendulum seems to swing...
On a mission to cure hep C
Curing hepatitis C has become a reality and makes sense for the public purse as well as public health. So let’s get on with...
Occupational support during recovery
All in a day's work
Sue Bright describes how offering occupational support can bolster an individual’s recovery journey
How many activities have you already carried out...
Break free
With many service users struggling to find meaningful paid or unpaid employment, Peter Bentley tells DDN about a new educational course that encourages individuals...
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...
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...
Safe from harm
Last month saw the 23rd International Harm Reduction Conference take place in Lithuania. DDN reports on a gathering of activists, policy makers and service...
Families First 2013
The speakers and workshops at Families First 2013 gave delegates an opportunity to hear personal stories, network and exchange vital expertise.
Supporting role
Kate McKenzie speaks...
Is minimum pricing dead in the water?
The ‘will they, won’t they?’ saga of minimum unit pricing for alcohol continues after the government announced it was shelving plans for its introduction....
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...
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.
Inside Out
When delivering recovery services to prisoners, demonstrating impact is a complex but vital process, says Carwyn Gravell.
Forward’s range of structured, abstinence-based treatment programmes (which...
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.
Changing the conversation
DDN reports from Alcohol Concern’s annual conference, where delegates heard about the need to reframe debate on alcohol, and how the call for minimum...
Getting real
The ‘dream drug’ ketamine can bring its users face to face with some stark realities that aren’t readily understood by health professionals. Mat...
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...
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...
New directions
David Gilliver talks to International Drug Policy Consortium executive director Ann Fordham about raising awareness and the changing course of the global drug policy debate.
‘It’s clear...
A Tangled Web: drug purchasing on the darknet
The ‘darknet’ online marketplace has experienced significant turbulence lately, affecting the availability of different drugs. Be ready for the impact, says Kevin Flemen.
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...
We need to talk about Brexit
The implications of the political turmoil caused by Brexit are dangerous for service users says Nick Goldstein.
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...
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...
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...
Staying silent
Adfam share new research that reveals why families often struggle for a long time before seeking help with a problem drinker.
Drugs and alcohol are...
Breaking Ties
When prescribing regimes are preventing service users from moving on, should we be looking at new options? DDN reports
‘What makes me angry is that...
A common thread
Tony Bullock, Dr Samantha Weston and Dr Aliko Ahmed explain how the new focus on public health is an opportunity to involve...
SWEAT – a new project for steroid users
A new project is helping steroid users to recalibrate their lives while providing evidence for better treatment, says Jody Leach.
At Open Road we launched...
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...
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...
Family focused
With 2013 marking the ten-year anniversary of Hidden harm, social care professionals gathered at the Adfam annual conference in London to reflect on 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...
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...
End of a relationship
Leaving drug use behind can feel like losing a lover. Christopher Robin looks at how to cope.
Perhaps you need a new perspective, a new...
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...
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...
Lasting impressions
Early trauma can have a devastating effect on children, leaving them more likely to misuse drugs and alcohol. We need to be ready to...
Hole in the soul – can philosophers teach us about addiction?
Looking to the philosophers can give us valuable understanding of the nature of addiction, suggests Albert Yates.
On the face of it, Classical Greek philosophy...
A capital idea
WDP’s Capital Card scheme has been helping to incentivise and empower service users, the team tells DDN.
Read the full article in DDN Magazine
People who...
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...
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...
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...
What’s in a name?
NDTMS data set J could mean more than just a new way of saying the same thing, argue Jan Hernen and Dr Christopher Whiteley
We...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Dead or alive
Can reducing the ‘dead space’ in injecting equipment save lives, asks Jamie Bridge.
For the more than 100,000 people who inject drugs in the UK,...
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...
Becoming visible: homelessness
Homelessness may be a complex issue but we know how to make a difference, heard delegates at a conference that brought together academics and...
Street wise
An award-winning scheme has been protecting vulnerable drug-dependent street sex workers from attack. Its director of services, Alex Feis-Bryce, talks to David Gilliver
The links...
Why isn’t more being done to tackle hep C?
A new report is calling for hepatitis C to be prioritised as a major health inequalities issue by Public Health England, the NHS and...
Alcohol and drugs in the news
Media savvy
The news and views from the national media
Laws against smoking have irreversibly shifted attitudes. The same drive is needed for alcohol consumption. 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...
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,...
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...
Alcohol Awareness Week
Family focus
Alcohol Awareness Week 2017 shines a spotlight on alcohol and families, sending the message that support is always available. DDN reports.
Alcohol Concern has partnered...
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...
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...
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...
Training at the bar
As the Swanswell Inn opens for business on a Monday morning in Birmingham, it becomes obvious that this is no ordinary pub. The mobile...
Harm reduction at music festivals
The song remains the same
Music festivals may go hand in hand with drug culture, but we can be loud and clear on harm reduction,...