A glimpse of the future?
Canada’s opioid crisis may be less reported than that in the US, but the effects have been devastating. Is this where we are headed,...
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
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...
Review of the year
As the old Chinese curse has it, ‘may you live in interesting times’…
A truly seismic year for world events saw the triumph of populist...
Finding the right voice
CGL has been consulting with young people on the best ways for its youth services to get their message across. DDN reports on the...
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...
Drawing on experience
Does continuing professional development (CPD) have a purpose for volunteers and people without professional qualifications? Absolutely, says Kate Halliday, who explains how to get...
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...
Thanks for Sharing
Testing and treatment for hep C may have improved, but data sharing is lagging dangerously behind, warns a new LJWG report.
Read the full article...
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...
Opening the Doors
The efforts to get homeless people into emergency accommodation must not be wasted, as DDN reports.
Homelessness has been long been regarded as complex, difficult,...
Advocating for change
An inspiring session at DDN Conference heard representatives from user involvement and engagement programmes describe the power of effective partnerships.
‘We all need to make efforts...
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...
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,...
In a spin: an insight into gambling addiction
With the depth of painful personal experience, Owen Baily explains why gambling treatment is still a lottery.
Read the full article in DDN Magazine
With sweaty...
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...
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...
Family matters
The families of people who use substances are unforgivably overlooked. With an election looming, read Adfam’s own five-point manifesto.
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...
On the Margins
Peter Keeling hears from April Wareham of Working with Everyone about how marginalised communities have been coping during lockdown.
Working with Everyone is a group...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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.
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...
Grow a little kindness
SIG Penrose Roots is a garden-based community recovery project that provides a therapeutic growing space for service users, members, volunteers and the wider community.
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,...
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...
There’s something in the heroin
Claire Gilbert, Tony Margetts, Gilda Nunez, Bryony Sedgwick and Tim Allison describe their response to the emergence of fentanyl and carfentanil in their local...
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...
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,...
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...
Blocking the path
What proportion of England’s problem drinkers are actually in treatment? And are increasing rates of unmet need the result of austerity-driven funding cuts? Mike...
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...
At breaking point
Chronic lack of investment is gambling with lives, agreed members of the Drugs, Alcohol and Justice Cross-Party Parliamentary Group. Read their Charter for Change.
‘The current...
The ‘Cycle of Change’ – A step too far?
Have we been right to embrace the ‘cycle of change’,
asks Natalie Davies.
When Bill Wilson, who went on to co-found Alcoholics Anonymous, was hospitalised for...
Gambling with public health
Let’s increase the chances of a good outcome for gambling addiction, says Lord Victor Adebowale.
Read the article in September DDN magazine
Gambling is a common...
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...
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...
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...
Staying on track
What does COVID-19 mean for hepatitis C elimination plans in London? Dee Cunniffe gives an update.
Two months ago, on 2 March, senior leaders from...
The Right Connections
Starting in May, a group of ten champions of recovery from different corners of the recovery ecosystem began to meet on a weekly basis to share their thoughts and support each other.
Choose life – Recovery Month and Overdose Awareness
The stakes have never been higher. This year’s Recovery Month and Overdose Awareness Day activities brought service users and recovery communities together with one...
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...
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...
Straight to the point – NNEF conference
The National Needle Exchange Forum focused on some vital harm reduction issues, as DDN reports. Photography by Nigel Brunsdon.
Read the full article in May...
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...
Hepatitis C Peer Education
As we approach Hepatitis Awareness Day, Ignatious Harling shares his progress as a hep C peer educator.
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Dying with their rights on?
Should we be doing more to protect people from harmful drinking, asks Mike Ward.
Read the full article in June 2018 issue of DDN
Some people...
DDN Conference – Opening Session
The day’s first session focused the current state of play in the treatment sector, the vital role of user involvement, and where things needed...
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...
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...
We need to talk about pleasure
Our refusal to acknowledge that drugs can be a happy experience is hampering our attempts at treatment, says Nick Goldstein.
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...
Finding balance
In the therapy room at DDN Conference, Lois Skilleter and Sam Lofthouse gave delegates a taster of massage and Reiki. Lois explains the treatments.
This...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Less pain, more gain
Opiate medications don’t work for chronic pain – in fact they often make it worse.
In a recent pilot scheme in Hastings run jointly by...
Walking back to happiness
Mark Reid on two books that consider the restorative power of walking.
In The Salt Path, Ray(nor) Winn and Moth, Cer husband of 32 years,...
Remembering Simon
Tributes have been paid to Simon Morgan; Change Grow Live recovery worker, DDN volunteer, and a much-loved member of the Stratford-upon-Avon music scene, who...
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’.
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,...
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...
Strategy for Survival
Challenging times mean smaller organisations must embrace new ways of thinking, says Caroline Cole.
We operate in difficult financial times, and for charities delivering addiction...
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...
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...
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.
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...
The Right Questions
Now in its 30th year, the Unlinked Anonymous Monitoring Survey is a vital tool for harm reduction, says Emily Phipps.
This year the Unlinked Anonymous...
Adjusting the focus
Change, grow, live’s executive director of health and social care, Mark Moody, tells DDN about the organisation’s change of name and what it signifies.
‘I...
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?’...
Hit Hot Topics: The word on the streets
The Word on the Streets
This year’s Hit Hot Topics asked, how can we give harm reduction most impact on the frontline? DDN reports, pics...
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....
DDN Conference – Session two
The morning’s second session, ‘The Big Conversation’, focused on the shape of service user involvement and how it should look in the future.
Read the...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 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...
Brief encounter: what happened to alcohol brief interventions?
Alcohol brief interventions promised a way of improving the nation’s public health – so what happened to this ambitious initiative? Mike Ashton looks back...
No quick fix on painkiller addiction
We need to rethink our relationship with pain, says Dr Simone Yule.
Read the full article in DDN Magazine
It’s becoming a well-told and oft-repeated story:...
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...
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...
It’s all about you
Change Grow Live wants its new strategy to come from staff and service users, says Mark Moody.
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 –...
Naloxone outreach – Reaching out
Now that naloxone is officially ‘out there’, CGL are among those searching for the people most in need of it. DDN reports on their...
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...
Just Be Yourself: support in the LGBT+ community
Robert Mee grew up feeling that he didn’t belong and used alcohol and drugs to counter his loneliness. Now, as chief executive of a...
Recovering Through Nature
Phoenix Futures share the growth of their exciting Purple Camel Project.
Read the full article in May 2018 DDN Magazine
Phoenix Futures we have been...
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...
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.
No time to lose
The ‘substantial upward trend’ in drug-related deaths was explored at the latest meeting of the Drugs, Alcohol and Justice Cross-Party Parliamentary Group, as DDN...
Long Hot Summer
Summer weather and lack of other entertainment mean that young people are once again turning to outdoor partying on a large scale. Drug services...
Making choice real
How can we improve the range of options available to bring more people into services, asks DDN.
The options that exist for drug treatment surely...
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...
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...
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...
DDN Conference – Session three
The day’s final session, ‘Insights’, heard personal stories about naloxone, the lack of support for problem gambling, and properly engaging with your past to...
We need to talk about Brexit
The implications of the political turmoil caused by Brexit are dangerous for service users says Nick Goldstein.
Shared perspectives
Having had to postpone his trip to the DDN conference, Bill Nelles reflects on the differences in drug policy between the UK and his...
In tune with nature
From the heart of the Cornish countryside Bosence Farm Community has been developing ecotherapy, as Tom Packer explains.
Promotional Feature: Hepatitis C and Me
Kevin Stow, an ex-drug user and previous hepatitis C sufferer shares his experiences and talks about how being cleared of hepatitis C helped 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...
Family Insight
A CQC inspection has given a family support service in Haringey a firmer platform for their life-changing interventions.
Insight Platform started as a substance misuse...
Vital Links
The group of NHS providers, NHSSMPA, is looking at new ways to make sure service users stay connected with essential skilled healthcare.
‘Nostalgia isn’t what...
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...
The Right Fix?
Safe injecting sites, drug consumption rooms, safe injecting facilities, fix rooms or the rather more grandiose medically supervised injecting centres are just some 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...
Different perspectives
We need to dig deep for inspiration and redouble our efforts against reactionary policies, heard this year’s HIT Hot Topics. DDN reports. Photography by...
The Benzo Trap
Improving our understanding of benzodiazepines would save many lives, says Kevin Flemen.
Non-medical use of benzodiazepines creates big challenges for treatment services. There need to...
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...
Slow on the draw
Why are smokers reluctant to exchange the risks of cigarettes for the health benefits of e-cigs, asks Neil McKeganey.
E-cigarettes have been characterised by Public...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Aiming High
Even in the most difficult circumstances recovery is always possible, says Jody Leach.
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...
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...
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...
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’...
CZAR GAZING – What is substance misuse treatment for?
As deputy drug czar for the Blair government, Mike Trace oversaw the expansion of today’s drug and alcohol treatment system. In the third 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.
Dame Carol Black Review – Next Steps
Dame Black has spoken loud and clear. How policy makers respond will be crucial.
Just a child
The exploitation involved in ‘county lines’ is an urgent call for action, as DDN reports.
The brutal killing of a 16-year-old boy shook his community...
What future for our prisons?
With NPS problems making regular headlines and a general consensus that the system isn’t working, the UK’s prisons are in bad shape. David Gilliver reports...
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...
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...
In safer hands?
When should the Mental Capacity Act be used to make decisions on behalf of vulnerable people? Mike Ward unpicks a complicated issue.
Read the full...
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...
Emotional intelligence – Inner strength
Emotional intelligence can be a potent tool for recovery, says Derek Fredericks.
One hot summer’s day 13 years ago, I remember sitting alone on the...
Hope after chaos
It’s time to ‘get busy living’, says Tom.
I had a good childhood and my parents provided all that I needed. My first years at...
Gender imbalance
The lockdown may be having a disproportionate effect on female service users, warns Gordon Hay.
The coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent lockdown impacts on all...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
A change of heart
When a ‘general in the war of drugs’ calls the campaign a complete failure, it’s time to listen. DDN reports from the GPs’ conference.
‘For...
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...
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...
Beginning of the end
End of life care is a difficult topic to discuss. Kevin Jaffray suggests ways to start the conversation and provide better palliative options.
End of...
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...
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...
Include me in
The inclusive cities model is a forward thinking-approach to boosting people’s recovery in the communities where they live, say Professor David Best, Professor Charlotte...
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
Positive signals
Giving families a clear and consistent route to help makes all the difference, as DDN reports.
‘When you work with families in an uncoordinated way...
Back to Reality: alcohol-related brain damage
Korsakoff’s syndrome is a severe memory disorder, associated with long-term alcohol misuse. Glenn Barnett shares a new model to support those affected and help...
Springboard to success
RAPt’s apprenticeship programme is helping people to use their experience of addiction to get back into work, as Nathan Motherwell explains.
Since 2013 RAPt have...
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...
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...
Fighting for a C change
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to finally eliminate hepatitis C is within our grasp, says Professor Ashley Brown.
Read the full article in October DDN Magazine
When I...
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...
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...
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...
In the Picture
The parliamentary group discussion moved to Zoom for its first meeting since the crisis hit services.
Recovering from hepatitis C: Steps to empowerment through peer support
There are more than 200,000 people in the UK living with hepatitis C, but only half of these are diagnosed and as few as...
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...
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...
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...
Media Savvy
The news, and the skews, in the national media.
The history of prohibition proves it fuels gangsterism and forces up potency, from moonshine replacing beer...
Street Smart: integrated outreach
The ISEU project is taking street outreach to the next level, says Peter Burleigh.
Read the full article in DDN magazine
I’ve been going into hostels,...
The Recovery Street Film Festival – The bigger picture
Junaid tells us how he became involved in making a film for the 2017 Recovery Street Film Festival.
In 2015 I was using crack cocaine...
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.
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,...
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...
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...
Commissioning for change
An independent expert faculty has been set up to consider a vital new approach to commissioning. Mark Gilman, Paul Musgrave, Niamh Cullen, Terry Pearson...
Puncturing the myths?
Acupuncture is commonly used as a complementary therapy in the substance use field. But how effective is it, asks Natalie Davies.
Read this article in...