Home Search
drug related deaths - search results
Search results are sorted by relevance, please use the links in the sidebar to filter your search.
A case for e-cigarettes
[…] are not medicines. Where to with tobacco policy? Harm reduction is central to current tobacco policy in England. This will be welcome news to those in the drugs field who feel rather beleaguered and browbeaten by the drugs recovery agenda. The history of tobacco harm reduction is tied in with the development of NRT. […]
DDN December 2017
‘Disinvestment in harm reduction is deeply damaging’ As 2017 draws to a close we look back at a year of diminishing budgets and record drug-related deaths. While local authorities get to grips with cutting £85m from public health spending, the ACMD warned that slashing drug treatment budgets is a ‘catalyst for disaster’. Throughout the […]
Counter culture
[…] be arsed with anything, I’m just going through the motions.”’ Lee Collingham is explaining how it can feel when you’re trying to stay in treatment for problematic drug use. He speaks from personal experience and as a service user advocate and peer supporter. ‘You may not have seen your drug worker for a month. […]
Media Savvy: the news, and the skews, in the national media
[…] – in response to the threat of HIV. It saved countless lives. When focus shifted away from harm reduction, deaths began to rise. We welcome the incorporation of drug-related deaths as a measure in the outcomes framework. However, if death rates are an accepted measure of system performance, the current trend is surely evidence of […]
Reach out
[…] the programme in Northern Ireland. Before that we had no naloxone, and no sight of it. People are dying – especially poor groups, people in poverty, and drug-related deaths are concentrated in these groups. People who need naloxone are likely to be people who are most disaffected. They’re not hard to reach – more […]
New group champions women’s right to high-quality services
[…] for women that should exist in every service. Although the last decade has seen an almost 80 per cent increase in the number of women dying a drug-related death, the number of women seeking treatment has remained largely unchanged. The group will look at ways in which services could be adapted to better meet […]
DDN November 2020
‘How can we change appalling statistics?’ Writing and reading about drug-related deaths is depressing for all of us – the inevitability year after year, when policy doesn’t follow the evidence. The question is (as raised on many pages of this issue) how can we affect the situation? How can we do things differently, and […]
Would you like to learn how to save a life?
Peer distribution of naloxone is the best way to get the opioid overdose reversal drug where it’s needed.
A moment to reflect
[…] Her vision was for a parental support group that could research the little understood issue and support each other to find effective ways of helping children with drug problems. Addaction’s Alistair Bohm That organisation was founded in 1967 as APA, standing both for the Association of Parents of Addicts, and the Association for Prevention […]
DDN April 2026
[…] address this invisibility? Our cover story this month challenges a familiar narrative – that knowledge and willpower are enough to keep people alive. They’re not. Too many drug deaths are happening because people are alone. Looking at why people might take drugs in isolation, I was struck by how relatable these reasons are – […]
More than a million people quit smoking last year
[…] disorder or schizophrenia were around three times more likely to smoke than the general population. According to the most recent NDTMS figures, almost half of people in drug and alcohol treatment were also smokers. ‘The smokefree generation policy is a vital step forward, but it will not on its own address the harm caused […]
More Accessible and Inclusive Services for LGBTQ+ Clients
[…] gay, and bisexual (LGB+) adults. By linking 2021 Census data with death registrations between March 2021 and November 2024, the analysis shows significantly higher rates of suicide, drug poisoning, and alcohol-related deaths among sexual minority adults compared with their heterosexual peers. By Ketiwe Anjorin, Head of EDI at The Forward Trust As we mark […]
New three-year study to evaluate LEROs’ effectiveness
[…] by 20 per cent to almost 4,700. The number of people who died while homeless also increased by 9 per cent last year, to more than 1,600, with deaths related to drug or alcohol use accounting for more than 40 per cent. Better outcomes through linked data: rough sleeping and substance misuse treatment available here
A numbers game
[…] compared the costs of services provided to them as follows: Regular use of NHS and GP services Social care provision Receiving benefits, including housing benefits Costs of drug-related crime Costs of criminal justice involvement It then compared these extrapolated costs over 2.5 years with the costs involved in treating that person for 24 weeks […]
Mental block
[…] to stop asking people to fit into our complicated systems and start providing genuine person-centred support. If we’re serious about building a world-class treatment system and reducing drug related deaths, then all evidence-based treatment options should be funded and consistently available across the country. We must create clear pathways from court or prison into residential care, […]
Addressing stigma and its impact on families
[…] supporting loved ones affected by substance use. The crisis in family support Focusing on England, the session explored the growing crisis in family support. Record levels of drug and alcohol-related deaths have left thousands of families grieving, many experiencing disenfranchised grief – where societal judgement leads to unacknowledged grief or even blame. Families, whether […]
Largest ever trial of ketamine-assisted therapy underway
[…] and Awakn Life Sciences. Early research in the 1980s found ‘promising’ reductions in alcohol relapse rates following ketamine treatment, with more recent studies also showing that the drug has a ‘fast-acting anti-depressant’ effect, the university says. The latest phase III trial builds on the positive initial findings from an earlier phase II investigation, which […]
Breaking barriers
[…] complex inter-related family dynamics. Ophelia House Of the women that we’ve supported, 77 per cent have survived domestic abuse. Sam was referred to us by a community drug treatment team that she had been supported by to safely flee an abusive relationship, and on leaving the relationship she was carefully supported directly into a […]
Breaking barriers: Lessons from Ophelia House six months on
[…] complex inter-related family dynamics. Of the women that we have supported at Ophelia House, 77% have survived domestic abuse. Sam was referred to us by a community drug treatment team that she had been supported by to safely flee an abusive relationship. On leaving the relationship, she was carefully supported directly into a secure […]
Number of people in alcohol treatment up by 10 per cent
[…] use at 49 per cent – the number of people in treatment for opiates fell slightly from 140,863 to 140,558. Overall there were 289,215 adults in contact with drug and alcohol services in 2021-22, up from 275,896 the previous year. The number of adults entering treatment was 133,704, which was relatively unchanged from the previous […]
Alcohol dependency prescriptions up three quarters in a decade
[…] illustrated ‘the impact of alcohol misuse on hospitals in England’, according to HSCIC. ‘It is extremely important that patients who are dependent on alcohol have access to drugs that can help them recover,’ said Royal College of Physicians advisor on alcohol, Dr Nick Sheron. ‘However, the rise in prescriptions of drugs to treat alcohol […]
Addiction psychiatry facing oblivion, royal college warns
[…] five having no higher training posts. Urgent measures are needed to address the falling numbers of doctors training in addictions, the document urges, with rising rates of drug-related deaths and alcohol-related hospital admissions and a growing need for qualified professionals equipped to work with people with complex needs. Funding is needed to both protect […]
Dying with their rights on?
[…] not simply archaic legislation that has lingered on the statute books. A good example of this kind of legislation in action is the Swedish Care of Alcoholics, Drug Abusers and Abusers of Volatile Solvents Act (1988). Sweden’s Care of Alcoholics, Drug Abusers and Abusers of Volatile Solvents Act (1988) The Act’s aims are to […]
UK among biggest consumers in ‘buoyant’ cocaine market
[…] purity levels in Europe are at their highest for a decade, according to the latest EMCDDA annual report, with a ‘buoyant’ market and increased availability of the drug in a number of countries. Coca cultivation and cocaine production in Latin America are increasing, says European drug report 2018: trends and developments, with wastewater analysis […]
Alcohol Awareness Week
[…] children’s social care, but she continues to attend one-to-one appointments at Orbit. Without our help, Kirsty would not have been able to access support as the main drug and alcohol services are adult-only services which do not cater for families. I’m delighted to see Kirsty and her baby thrive. They have both come a […]
DDN December 2016
[…] what are we doing with these statistics? The work of DRD inquiry groups is being stifled by financial cuts, but we know that the vast majority of drug related deaths are of people who are not engaged in treatment – and more than half of them have never been in services. Simple inexpensive actions, says Dr […]
February issue
[…] in Birmingham on 16 February – hope to see you there. Read the Magazine: Virtual Magazine Version | PDF Version Magazine Features NEWS FOCUS New guidelines on sentencing people for drugs offences are intended to make the system fairer.DDN considers whether they do, and if the press has missed the point – again. STAGE STRUCK Started by […]
Naloxone advocacy
[…] medicine saves lives,’ he stated. ‘So why are we still having to fight?’ Many of the arguments against naloxone – that it encouraged people to take more drugs, or deterred them from seeking support – were myths, he said. ‘The arguments that come up time and time again when we’re campaigning in local areas […]
DDN Conference – video highlights
[…] at the heart of their activities Gareth Balmer and the Fife WithYou team shared ideas from a strong peer network to enhance harm reduction services and prevent drug related death. Soulgetic’s founder Stella Kityo shared inspiration on empowering women and strengthening communities. Red Rose Recovery delivered a blueprint for creating meaningful service user led […]
Better training needed for emergency call handlers around overdose, says SDF
[…] the incident is over. Naloxone administration by workers in communities, family, friends, and members of the public is a crucial part of the national mission to reduce drug-related deaths and we need people to feel confident and supported in carrying naloxone, administering it, contact emergency services, and in seeking another supply. This survey will […]
Northern Ireland to consult on minimum pricing
[…] launch a ‘full consultation’ on minimum unit pricing (MUP) for alcohol, its health minister Robin Swann has announced. The decision follows a review of its alcohol and drug strategy carried out last year. Robin Swann: Impact of alcohol misuse is being felt by too many families and communities Northern Ireland’s new substance use strategy, […]
Nearly 100,000 could be unaware they have hep C
[…] devastating consequences. PHE is renewing its call for anyone who believes they have been at risk of contracting the virus – particularly if they have ever injected drugs – to get tested. Better access to new treatments may be a factor in falling numbers of people with hep C requiring liver transplants, says the […]
DDN Magazine September 2019
[…] common purpose. Harm reduction is not the preserve of one community – it’s all of our business and should be central to everything we do, whatever the drug and whatever the treatment preference. Nick Wilson’s piece (cover story, page 6) is a reminder that activism is essential, and that includes the kind of community […]
Send us your letters!
[…] we can’t wave a magic wand to increase funding levels and improve treatment for all, challenging stigma and highlighting the human tragedy of addiction and in particular drug-related deaths is something that can be done. There are some fantastic campaigns that do this such as ‘Support Don’t Punish’ and the Remembrance Day events in […]
DDN March 2017
‘One of the strongest messages was a simple one: isolation kills’ We had to make drug-related deaths the focus of this year’s conference. The room was packed with people that were directly affected, as demonstrated by the question, ‘who in this room has lost someone?’ We heard about keyworkers struggling with huge caseloads, and […]
‘Millions’ of children exposed to World Cup alcohol marketing
[…] number of people in treatment in the last year, with more than 90 per cent waiting less than three weeks. The numbers were encouraging, said director of drugs and alcohol Rosanna O’Connor, but there was ‘much more to do’. Alcohol Marketing at the FIFA World Cup 2014: a frequency analysis, and alcohol harm map […]
PHE: Increase hep C treatment or face liver cancer time bomb
[…] the next 10-15 years would only mean a 31 per cent increase in spending, says PHE. The agency is calling for services to be made more easily accessible – including expansion into drug treatment, primary care and prison settings – as well as better monitoring and reporting of treatment outcomes. ‘While there would be a financial cost to rapidly increasing treatment rates, the increase […]
DDN November 2025
[…] investment, but budgets haven’t been confirmed and it’s really hard to plan for the vital continuity we all need. Prison and probation are bursting at the seams, drug-related deaths continue to rise – yet tried and tested treatment is being undervalued. Nobody in these pages is saying that residential rehab is the only way […]
The future of one of Scotland’s oldest rehab charities is secured
The future of one of Scotland’s oldest residential rehabilitation charities has been secured, allowing it to continue its important work reducing drug-related deaths. Michael Trail, manager of the Jericho Society’s two Greenock houses and Paul Bowley, chief executive of Abbeycare Three Jericho Society facilities located in Greenock and Dundee will now be owned by […]
Going upstream
[…] – trauma that happened during childhood – he highlighted the following Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): physical, sexual and emotional abuse; living with someone who was experiencing problematic drug and/or alcohol use, had serious mental illness or who had been incarcerated; exposure to domestic violence; parental loss through divorce, death or abandonment; and neglect. The […]
DDN December 2024/January 2025
At what point is intervention possible? We’re so quick to compartmentalise – as if that makes treatment easier. Early trauma, chaotic drug use… rehab. Social scene, few too many drinks, hiding a hangover… be careful not to overdo the legally sanctioned fun. Slightly confusing then, to look at a substance through both lenses. We’re […]
Homelessness services facing financial ‘cliff edge’, charities warn
[…] to official figures from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities. According to ONS statistics from 2022, almost two in five deaths of homeless people are drug-related. ‘Everyone needs a safe, secure place to live,’ the letter states. ‘But rough sleeping rose by 27 per cent in 2023 and 60 per cent since […]
Stepping up
[…] journey, and detox services can also play an important role in enabling people to stabilise on their community delivered treatment options. UPTAKE TARGETS Improving treatment outcomes, reducing drug-related harm and death and increasing the number of people in treatment are at the heart of the UK’s ten-year drug strategy – including a 2 per […]
A dignified end
[…] In 2019, a team of researchers from Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) started to develop a new approach to care for people using substances – alcohol and other drugs – who were approaching the end of their lives. This was done in partnership with people with lived experience of substance use and loss, through our […]
Every step
[…] practical aspects. We also need those of you who work with clinicians, those who commission services and those who provide education to recommend the prescribing of naloxone. Drug-related deaths from overdose remain a significant problem and I believe a widespread roll-out of naloxone could significantly reduce this. We have as much a duty of […]
The smell of home cooking and the sound of piano: a visit to Southend-on-Sea
[…] 50% in 2021-2022. People living in deprived areas typically experience poor mental and physical health, alongside harm from drugs, alcohol and gambling. Southend is no exception, with drug-related deaths hitting a ten-year high in 2022. As a charity, Forward’s mission is to reach and support the most marginalised groups in society, to make a […]
Keeping it together
[…] special for PACKS to be involved in this as they had all lost someone to overdose and really enjoy being part of the bigger picture in preventing drug related deaths. The passion the peer team bought to the table was quite amazing. You could really tell these pouches meant something personally to them. Without them, 2,000 […]
DDN March 2022
[…] reason for tragedies never makes for easy reading, but The Suicide Prevention Consortium’s research on alcohol-related suicidal behaviour (page 16) and Martin Smith’s look at causes of drug-related deaths (page 14) are two articles that could have an important role in informing our actions. Read the March issue as an online magazine or download the PDF […]
Ketamine treatment for people with alcohol disorder shows promising results
[…] of Exeter and Awakn have also signed an agreement with Devon Partnership NHS Trust to explore the potential of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy in the NHS. The use of drugs like ketamine in addiction and mental health treatment remains controversial, and would require approval from NICE to allow prescriptions by the NHS. ‘The number of alcohol-related […]
More needs to be done to help vulnerable people quit this Stoptober
[…] in society via effective, locally sensitive, and targeted policy and funding. In England, two thirds of smokers want to quit. Research also demonstrates that people who use drugs and alcohol are equally as motivated as the general population to quit smoking. When considering such willingness for change, what are the main barriers preventing people […]
Humankind sets out harm reduction minimum standards
[…] a decline in the number of people accessing our needle and syringe programmes and we want to change this. These services play a crucial role in reducing drug-related deaths and reinfection rates for hepatitis C, providing the life-saving drug naloxone, and providing a route into treatment services. They also provide our staff and volunteers […]
The Forward Trust and Action on Addiction join forces to reach more people
[…] by addiction. The Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on individuals and families who are affected by all forms of addiction. Rates of harmful drinking and drug-related deaths are at an all-time high; gambling addiction is rising exponentially, and families and children are living with the hidden harm of addiction in greater numbers […]
Right Place, Right Time
[…] good pathway of support when they move out’. Nothing has stalled over the past year – quite the opposite. Biggs is ‘terrified’ of what’s to come on drug-related death statistics as ‘there’s so much we don’t know about the experience of people in treatment over the last year’. Add to that the stigma, not […]
Phoenix Chief Exec Karen Biggs calls for action on funding
[…] us supporting people who need help with their drug or alcohol use knew we were already in crisis going into this pandemic. With the… Highest levels of drug related deaths on record Funding levels falling off a cliff for the last 8 years People across large areas of the country with no access to addiction […]
It’s all about you
[…] CQC should be ‘a force for good’, the strategy meetings highlighted a mindset of managing risk rather than meeting need, says Moody. The ‘well-intentioned but flawed’ national drug treatment monitoring system (NDTMS) was seen as ‘a giant data set that’s recording more stuff about a person with a substance misuse problem than a person […]
DDN June2017
DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS ISSN 1755-6236 JUNE 2017 Inside: Fentanyl, drug-related deaths, reaching out to young people JOINING FORCES TO HELP BRIGHTON’S STREET SLEEPERS DRINK AURGSE We’r e p la nnin g a r a ng e o f p ro je cts to h e lp b rin g to g eth e r th […]
DDN 0317 web
DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS ISSN 1755-6236 MARCH 2017 All the reports, comment and films at www.drinkanddrugsnews.com CONFRONTING THE SCANDAL OF DRUG-RELATED DEATHS AT DDN’S 10TH SERVICE USER CONFERENCE DRINK AINUNDRINGD SI DD N i s a n i n bep en ben t p u blic a tio n , e n tir e ly f […]
‘One Life’ – the DDN National Service User Involvement Conference
[…] information for exhibitors here. There is still time to exhibit or include inserts in the delegate bags, contact ian@cjwellings.com to find out more. Supported by: [slideshow_deploy id=’17698′] Drug-related deaths are up; targeted investment is down. There is so much that we, as a community, can do to reverse this situation. We know what works and […]
The Losing Hand
[…] alcoholic saying they’ll just have one drink – it would soon be a bottle of vodka. In some ways gambling addiction is easier to hide than with drugs or alcohol, because there’s no substance. You can be in all this debt and about to lose your family and your home but you can put […]
Government pledges to halve rough sleeping
[…] who died while experiencing homelessness was up by 10 per cent last year, to more than 1,600. Forty three per cent of the deaths were related to drug or alcohol use. The new plan was ‘shaped by the voices of those who’ve lived through homelessness and the frontline workers who fight tirelessly to prevent […]