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UK drug policy
[…] policies on skewed statistics will never result in anything other than further harm. Criminalising drugs and sticking to a purely abstinence-based approach will not make drug use disappear. It only puts people in danger, increases stigmatisation, and places unrealistic conditions on those would benefit from harm reduction practices. Prison Door - illustrating drug use in prisons
Meeting the needs of anabolic steroid users
[…] injecting temazepam, and they had horrendous injuries from poor injecting techniques. That’s how I got into working in drug services, through that desire to get involved in harm reduction.’ There’s a great deal of harm to be prevented when it comes to users of anabolic steroids and associated drugs. As well as putting themselves at […]
European Alcohol Conference
[…] tended to drink more were the ones that wanted help to drink less – but were also reluctant to change their behaviour. ‘We underestimate our personal vulnerability to harm,’ said Winstock – pointing out that individuals not only enjoyed drinking, but rationalised and normalised their behaviour when it suited them, so they were more likely […]
Engaging dependent drinkers
[…] project has developed the Blue light project manual, which contains tools for understanding why clients may not engage, risk assessment tools that are appropriate for drinkers and harm reduction techniques that workers can use. The manual also offers advice on crucial nutritional approaches, which can reduce alcohol-related harm, questions to help non-clinicians identify potential serious […]
Comment from the drug and alcohol field
[…] getting any airtime at all. One articulate morphine-scripted friend said, ‘the problem is that the message he gives makes it OK for treatment providers to radically reduce harm reduction services’, and that should worry us all at a time where overdose deaths have doubled in the UK and the government is planning to build more […]
LGBT drug support
[…] it became apparent that there was a real opportunity to get to people ‘much earlier in their cycle of drug use’, he says. ‘We can give some harm reduction advice, maybe some motivational interviewing sessions to look at behavioural change, but in the context of their sexual behaviour and their drug use together, which I […]
GP advice – Steve Brinksman
[…] weekly consumption was 60 units in the first week and 45 units in the second. He was pleased with this progress and it will obviously reduce the harm if his drinking can be maintained at this level, although both he and I acknowledged that it would be better if he could reduce further. Previously, […]
Treatment complete?
[…] already in drug treatment, asks Dr Steve Brinksman There is still a lot of – sometimes heated – debate about whether drug services should be recovery or harm-reduction based. Yet I rarely hear the same passion when we talk about treating viral hepatitis. Services will talk about high levels of BBV screening and uptake […]
What price life?
[…] with witnesses (other drug users) present. A Patient Group Direction (PGD) had been sent out to nurses and pharmacists in community addiction teams, needle and syringe programmes, harm reduction teams and the Scottish Prison Service, and Lord Advocate’s Guidelines allowed naloxone to be supplied by staff working for services in contact with people at risk […]
A dangerous game
[…] access effective treatment. Nevertheless, at Release we are still seeing too many services around the country failing to protect people who use benzos from significant and avoidable harms. Max had been self-medicating his anxiety with illicit alprazolam for some time. Struggling to manage this by himself, he reached out to his GP for support. […]
Better joined up working needed between treatment and child sexual abuse services
[…] reported having mental health problems, along with 15 per cent of males, while 33 per cent of females and 9 per cent of males reported having self- harmed. The review stresses that these ‘multiple vulnerabilities and complex needs’ need to be properly addressed, while ‘young people becoming young adults need to be supported as […]
The discovery of recovery – where did it all start?
[…] dated to May 2008, when governments in Scotland and England presented it as a new dawn, which would reinvigorate treatment services stuck in the rut of preventing harm and crime rather than redeeming and regenerating lives. In an ‘age of austerity’, commentators have noted that the ambitious rhetoric was not matched by the ‘intensive […]
Best foot forward
[…] drugs service in Leicester) at the Leicester UKRF event, which marked the end of a Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland recovery week which encompassed art exhibitions, flashmobs, a harm reduction café, drama, walks, open days and a picnic. The Umbrella Café, a dry bar, launched in Manchester on 5 September and they’ve been putting on really […]
The golden key
[…] care about their clients and who communicate and work together to deliver the needs identified by the individual patient across the whole spectrum of treatment – from harm reduction to supporting abstinence. Steve Brinksman is a GP in Birmingham and clinical lead of SMMGP. www.smmgp.org.uk. He is also the RCGP regional lead in substance misuse […]
Spanning the years
[…] this has been the shift – the joint working of organisations, rather than “us and them”.’ All that has gone alongside a recognition of the value of harm reduction, she says, as well as ‘looking much more at self-help and supporting people to make changes themselves, rather than telling them to make changes. It’s a […]
One step beyond
[…] seeking abstinence can be the most effective way of overcoming their problem, but for many others this could lead to serious consequences and an approach focusing on harm reduction will be more suitable. Indeed, individuals who are not quite ready to be abstinent would benefit from being prescribed a substitute medication for as long as […]
Loaded dice?
[…] suffer as a consequence of their gambling behaviour,’ says Marc Etches, chief executive of the Responsible Gambling Trust (RGT), a charity which exists to help ‘minimise gambling-related harm’ via voluntary donations from the gambling industry – around £6m per year. From March 2013 to March 2014, 80 per cent of this money was spent […]
Is anyone in?
[…] Housing First model, accepted in the US as the best way of helping people off the street. Unlike many of the housing schemes this model relied on harm reduction rather than the requirement of abstinence, but achieved positive outcomes through linking with long-term multi-agency support. Housing was an important element to sustaining the recovery model, […]
Filling the gap
[…] an assessment. Overdose prevention is something that should be done at every stage of drug service work, from brief interventions during needle sessions, right though to relapse prevention overdose work in rehab situations. Nigel Brunsdon is community manager at HIT and a harm reduction trainer, www.injectingadvice.com Screen shot 2014-08-04 at 12.09.41 Screen shot 2014-08-04 at 12.10.08
Letters
[…] is helping people to recover their lives without a substance dictating their days, why would anyone disagree with that? I believe there are other ways to recover. Harm reduction is vital to begin with, but does it make sense to spend a life on a substance like methadone and many other so called solutions? AA […]
Potent struggle
[…] comes in many forms. Martin Blakebrough is the CEO of Kaleidoscope and was in Uganda as a guest of Pont from 2 January to 28 February. For more information about Pont visit http://pont-mbale.org.uk Kaleidoscope’s conference, ‘From harm reduction to mindfulness’ is on 14 May in Newport, Gwent. Details at www.kaleidoscopeproject.org.uk Martin Blakeborough Uganda 1 Uganda 2
Young Persons Recovery Worker
[…] of roles for people passionate about supporting others to make change. Project 28 is the young person’s service in Bath and North East Somerset for 11–18-year-olds, delivering harm reduction information and advice, meeting young people within the community. Creating support plans and psychosocial interventions alongside working within a multi disciplinary team around the child, delivering […]
Global drug use at historically high levels
[…] synthetic opioids as an alternative for opiate users is also a danger.’ The report’s publication coincides with a joint statement from 70 organisations – including Amnesty International, Release, Harm Reduction International (HRI) and the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) – calling on the UNODC and Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) to unequivocally condemn the use of the […]
The bigger picture
[…] his substance use began to increase. During our assessment, however, he identified that injecting was not just substance use – it was also a form of self- harm. Through occupational therapy support, he experienced prolonged periods without injecting. I was able to advocate for him to move into more appropriate accommodation, where he could […]
Hospital Liaison Worker
[…] approach you will be engaging with individuals who have been admitted to hospital and have a substance use support need. You will deliver a range of interventions including advice, harm reduction and structured psycho-social interventions. You will work closely alongside colleagues within the hospital to ensure that appropriate support is offered to all those in need.
Substance Use Nurse – ROAR
[…] running well-being clinics in the community including full healthcare assessments, Blood Borne Virus screening and vaccination, supporting the management of alcohol and opiate community detoxifications and other harm reduction and well-being interventions. You will have a real opportunity to help shape service delivery and contribute to delivering clinically excellent services. This post will suit a […]
Recovery Practitioner – Outreach Inroads
[…] and a range of other health and social care agencies to engage and re-engage people into treatment. Provide assertive outreach with a focus on safeguarding, engagement, and harm reduction across Surrey, working with the wider i-access team to ensure seamless access to treatment interventions. Assist people in accessing treatment services and making sustained changes to […]
Drug and Alcohol Worker
[…] substance misuse, successfully re-integrate into society, and become active, contributing citizens. The Drug and Alcohol Worker will be an integral member of the dynamic multi-agency team providing harm reduction advice, needle exchange provision, crisis case management, Single Point of contact cover and developing and delivering comprehensive and tailored individual interventions that will include delivery of […]
Registered Nurse (Buvidal Lead)
[…] Your role will include in-reach work into prisons, ensuring continuity of care from custody to community, and delivering a range of health interventions including alcohol detox support, harm reduction, and health promotion. You’ll also contribute to service development—helping shape treatment pathways, mentoring staff, and driving continuous improvement through audits and best practice. If you’re passionate […]
Dual Diagnosis Worker
[…] the team to achieve positive outcomes for our residents. Some of the duties may include: Undertake joint holistic assessments, risk assessments, care plans, and interventions to support harm reduction and minimisation. Set up realistic and flexible strengths-based support plans, working closely with colleagues and support teams to support and advise on interventions and approaches to […]
Team Leader
[…] managing a team of practitioners delivering health and wellbeing interventions and support to adult drug and alcohol users. The treatment is tailored to individual needs, using both harm reduction and abstinence based treatment approaches as well as supporting low level mental health needs. On a daily basis you will be allocating caseloads, managing a small […]
Health and Wellbeing Practitioner
[…] weekend working will be a requirement on a rota basis. As a Health and Wellbeing Practitioner day-to-day you will be responsible for managing a caseload, providing appropriate harm reduction advice and guidance, conducting assessments and formulating and delivering care plans ensuring co-production with the service user. You will deliver structured 1:1s, facilitate group-work sessions and […]
Cranstoun Volunteers
[…] in what we do. In return, we can offer you structured training sessions to support you while you volunteer with us. The training covers the following topics: Harm Reduction Relapse Prevention Self-Awareness Boundaries and Confidentiality Equality and Diversity Dual Diagnosis Safeguarding Motivational Interviewing Solution-Focused Brief Therapy Volunteering in this field can be challenging at […]
Learning curve
[…] irregular hours. It had given the team the chance to signpost them to other services, including respiratory health (especially COPD), overall health and wellbeing, sexual health and harm reduction interventions. Key to progress had been partnering with the Wicker Pharmacy in Sheffield, which was in the right location – a space where the women felt […]
Provisional data shows ‘remarkable’ fall in predicted US overdose deaths
[…] parent to drug overdose in the decade to 2021. Provisional drug overdose death counts here See the June issue of DDN for an interview with Jim Duffy, executive director of Boston-based harm reduction organisation Smoke Works Provisional data shows ‘remarkable’ fall in predicted US overdose deaths Provisional data shows ‘remarkable’ fall in predicted US overdose deaths
Lincolnshire police reach milestone in life-saving naloxone training
[…] forward in helping to reduce drug related deaths.’ Naloxone ‘is easy to carry, simple to use and should be part of everyone’s first aid kit’ Elli McNally, harm reduction and health promotion lead at Lincolnshire Recovery Partnership, highlighted the life-saving potential of naloxone. ‘People’s lives can be saved by naloxone. It is easy to carry, […]
Lucie Jones – I am a…
[…] prescriber, you might be offering vaccinations and tests for blood-borne viruses, issuing naloxone or initiating opiate substitute therapy. You could be referring to pathways for treatment, giving harm reduction advice, or improving health outcomes. WHAT DO YOU FIND MOST REWARDING? Seeing people re-engage with services and access the support and treatment they need because of […]
Ketamine misuse: understanding the dangers
[…] the cracks’ due to the systemic divide between these support systems. Educating young people about the risks of ketamine is essential to curbing its growing popularity. Traditional harm reduction campaigns must be adapted to resonate with younger audiences and counteract ketamine’s reputation as a ‘safe’ party drug. Given the isolating nature of ketamine addiction, creating […]
Dead ends – the tobacco industry’s quest for a ‘safe’ combustible cigarette
BY GLOBAL STATE OF TOBACCO HARM REDUCTION (GSTHR) From the 1950s onwards, the tobacco industry spent decades denying any link between smoking and disease. Yet at the same time, it dedicated much time and money trying to develop a ‘safe’ combustible cigarette. This would be a product that achieved the challenging dual aims of satisfying […]
Safe as houses?
[…] reported to the police and could result in eviction.’ Therein sits the contradiction and the failure. On the one hand the recognition of the need for a harm-reduction approach while simultaneously clinging on to a zero-tolerance ‘illegal activities will be reported to the police.’ LEARNING POINTS Looking at the list of ‘key learning points’ […]
Consensus politics
[…] the event’s feedback has been negative, with talk of progressive nations giving in to hardline states like Russia (see news story page 5, and comment facing page). Harm Reduction International (HRI) and the STOPAIDS network of organisations even urged the UK government not to sign the joint ministerial statement adopted at the end of the […]
China executes four Canadians for drugs offences
[…] offences earlier this year, according to the Canadian authorities. The four – whose identities are being withheld – were dual citizens. A report earlier this month from Harm Reduction International (HRI) said that 2024 was the ‘deadliest year’ for drug-related executions in a decade, with 615 known executions carried out worldwide. However, the agency stressed […]
Global executions for drug offences ‘at crisis levels’
2024 was ‘the deadliest year on record since 2015’ for drug-related executions More than 615 people were executed for drug-related offences last year, according to Harm Reduction International (HRI). There were also almost 380 death sentences imposed, with more than 2,300 people currently on death row for drug offences worldwide. Thirty-four countries still retain the death […]
Stacey Skilton – I am a…
[…] knowledge, we’re not giving them the opportunity to use it. And I do think that as drug and alcohol service, we have to be accountable for that harm reduction within our community. It’s our responsibility. If we empower communities to have the knowledge and the skills to know where to go for help when they’re […]
Glasgow consumption room used more than 1,000 times
[…] medical emergencies, it adds, with ambulance support required on some occasions. ‘People using the service who experienced a medical emergency have recovered and been provided with further harm reduction and support from the team,’ it states. ‘There is no denying how much of a difference The Thistle is making to the lives of those using […]
Consensus politics
[…] the event’s feedback has been negative, with talk of progressive nations giving in to hardline states like Russia (see news story page 5, and comment facing page). Harm Reduction International (HRI) and the STOPAIDS network of organisations even urged the UK government not to sign the joint ministerial statement adopted at the end of the […]
One in four Welsh drug deaths now involves cocaine
[…] cocaine is the most used drug at the city’s recently opened consumption room, the Thistle. Of the 239 times the facility had so far been used, 87 per cent were for cocaine, he said. Harm reduction database Wales: drug related mortality available here One in four Welsh drug deaths now involves cocaine Wales drug deaths cocaine
Danger zone
[…] die from heroin, but 50 per cent of smokers will die because they smoke,’ GSTHR’s David MacKintosh tells DDN, as he stresses the huge potential for tobacco harm reduction in drug and alcohol services. GPs are failing to warn patients of the dependence risk of prescription drugs like opioids, benzodiazepines and gabapentinoids, says an NIHR-funded […]
Bridge the Gap
[…] and when the client desires or is ready for it. This aims to avoid, wherever possible, failure and re-traumatisation. ‘Our specialist outreach workers are skilled at offering harm reduction advice,’ says programme manager Lisa Byrne. ‘At the same time they motivate individuals to engage and benefit from wider social care support, healthcare, benefits, housing, and […]
DDN December 2024/January 2025
[…] relevant – or possible? Using it as a way to avoid drinking too much (aside from using it to keep going for longer) is a twist on harm reduction that we may not have contemplated, but it’s risky. The two substances combine to form toxic cocaethylene, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke – […]
Letters
[…] like to provide the evidence to support them. David Prentice, via email Give us a clue ‘There are figures on both sides of recovery and human rights/ harm reduction who share views and are looking for points of connection and trying to collaborate,’ says Mat Southwell in your interview (DDN, February, page 17). This may […]
Stick it to the man
[…] the creativity and calculated risk-taking that UKHRA, the Methadone Alliance, Exchange Supplies, NDUDA, Mainliners, HIT and Lifeline were utilising to tackle inequalities, challenge the status quo, pioneer harm reduction initiatives and reduce drug-related deaths… and we picked up the torch, carried it on, shared in the successes, learned from the mistakes and suddenly we had […]
The Interplay of Tobacco Farming and Tobacco Control: Exploring Socioeconomic and Health Dynamics in...
[…] approach to tobacco control. However, the article notes Malawi’s limited financial resources and healthcare infrastructure to implement traditional tobacco control measures and highlights an emphasis on tobacco harm reduction, a third pillar of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The article also advocates for an emphasis on alternative livelihood opportunities for smallholder tobacco farmers in […]
Stick together
[…] that enriched the experience and highlighted the collective passion for improving substance treatment services. Throughout the day we handed out information and guidance about our services and harm reduction initiatives, but we also took the opportunity to engage with other organisations and discuss upcoming projects. It reaffirmed our commitment to involving service users at the […]
Strong suit
[…] in insightful workshops, including essential naloxone training from Cranstoun, panel discussions, and networking sessions, all aimed at enhancing the support and resources available to those battling addiction. Harm reduction, holistic therapies, and community-based support systems were all discussed and there was such a feeling of dedication and togetherness, especially surrounding policy changes, how we tackle […]
WithYou responds to the National Records of Scotland report on alcohol-specific deaths
[…] believe that the Scottish Government should update, resource and reinforce treatment standards that ensure people receive a choice of treatment, as well as access to support and harm reduction measures, wherever they are in Scotland. ‘To anyone who is worried about their drinking or that of a loved one, please get in touch. As well […]
Alcohol deaths continue to rise in Scotland
[…] a limited effect. There must be a renewed national focus on preventing people from drinking to hazardous levels. We would like to see more money put towards harm reduction and treatment services for alcohol, as well as a review of drinks marketing and a wider education programme.’ ‘Better access to support for substance use outside […]