harm reduction - search results

[…] Managing drug and alcohol problems in primary care conference. When it came to reducing drug-related deaths in custody settings there ‘could be a much greater use of harm reduction initiatives, and a much better dissemination of recommendations’ following a death – ‘to learn what could have been done and apply that’. Her panel – which […]

[…] Rao, consultant old age psychiatrist and chair of Royal College of Psychiatrists Substance Misuse Working Group    How lucky we are Reading the coverage of the International Harm Reduction Conference really brought it home how lucky we are in the UK. Sadly I was unable to attend in person but by reading the DDN Daily […]

[…] was clear is that traditional drug services – which we absolutely support and which have done amazing work – are used to opiate users, used to providing harm reduction with needle and syringe packs with citric acid for heroin use. They’re not necessarily trained in what harm reduction means for these new drugs, nor are […]

Peter Furlong, North West harm reduction lead and development manager at Change Grow Live Change Grow Live’s National Naloxone Conversation event was a vital opportunity to keep up the momentum for widening access, says Pete Furlong. Our sector is very aware of the crucial need to increase naloxone access and availability nationally. Last year’s ONS […]

Harm reduction is not the preserve of one community September is a glorious opportunity to celebrate recovery month and we’re delighted to hear about the activities taking place all over the country. The Recovery Games in Doncaster (page 16) sums up the spirit of events and we’re looking forward to following what’s happening around […]

[…] deal with stress, and more than 20 per cent to self-medicate for mental health issues. Institutions should make sure that a range of appropriate support – including harm reduction advice – is made available to students, the document stresses, and students should not be ‘disciplined for drug-related behaviour that does not constitute a criminal offence’. Any […]

[…] and others only modestly, but – unlike treatment – the population was the target. Screening and brief intervention was primarily a public health strategy to reduce alcohol-related harm at the level of a whole population, to a degree otherwise unattainable without imposing politically unpalatable restrictions on the availability of alcohol. This is the story […]

[…] more widespread could impact not solely on heroin users, but people using any white powder drug – populations that are likely to be harder to reach with harm-reduction messages and less likely to have naloxone at point of overdose. Issuing warnings about fentanyls is a finely balanced judgement call, as premature warnings about ‘dangerous […]

[…] next key step, asks DDN. Although divisions inevitably still exist, and probably always will, we’ve come a long way since the sector was polarised by those bitter harm reduction versus abstinence arguments, with concerns over budget reductions and the austerity agenda perhaps helping to focus minds on the bigger picture. A significant step on this […]

[…] me greatly. They comment that the schools just tell them not to do it, but that there is no advice or education on the alternatives – despite harm reduction being the most obvious and sensible one. I liken harm reduction education to age-appropriate sex education, which empowers young people and helps them to make more […]

[…] among people who use drugs could be almost entirely eliminated by 2030 with ‘just a tiny shift in global drug control spending’, according to a report from Harm Reduction International. Redirecting 7.5 per cent of the US $100bn spent on drug enforcement and control to harm reduction measures would cut deaths by 93 per cent, […]

[…] stemming from overriding priorities at the time; firstly to call for services for drug users in the 1980s, and then to argue the necessity and priority of harm reduction in the 1990s. Treatment providers were urgently distancing themselves from the moral panics stirred up in the tabloid press about drugs and HIV/AIDS, placing themselves within […]

[…] ‘This will see the country’s total alcohol duty receipts reach £15.9bn per year by 2029/2030. Yet this is still less than half of the cost of alcohol-related harm in the UK, currently estimated to be at least £33bn each year. This gap needs closing.’  The move was an ‘important moment for public health,’ added […]

[…] made these observations, the clinical team decided to review WithYou’s approach. Firstly, the clients were encouraged to test their samples using the WEDINOS external testing facility and harm reduction project. In some instances, flubromazolam was identified and it was possible to screen for it as part of the treatment programme. New Guidance Following this — […]

[…] the evidence in context at: ash.org.uk/resources/view/addressing-common-myths-about-vaping-putting-the-evidence-in-context Related articles (Features, August 2023): DDN visited the Global Forum on Nicotine in Warsaw to hear about the challenges of mainstreaming tobacco harm reduction. (Features, February 2023): The genie’s out of the bottle – embracing tobacco harm reduction could end smoking within a generation, says Knowledge Action Change. (News, June 2021): Health […]

[…] certificates and forensic pathologists.  The predominant picture of drug-related harm is still polydrug use involving benzodiazepines, opioids and stimulants, the report states, with partners ‘advised to strengthen harm reduction and support measures with particular consideration for those who may have limited contact with health and social care services’. Although 2021 saw a tiny reduction in […]

[…] people with co-presenting mental health and substance use issues. We provide semi- independent supported accommodation for 33 service users across eight properties, and place an emphasis on harm reduction. A key aspect of the Working together to reduce harm strategy 2012 is the development of ‘take-home’ naloxone. After working with service users with dual diagnosis, […]

[…] 2016, page 4). David Cameron’s coalition government, meanwhile, shelved its plans to introduce minimum pricing on the grounds that there was insufficient evidence that it would reduce harm without penalising moderate drinkers (DDN, August 2013, page 4). The impact on moderate drinkers in Wales would be small, the country’s chief medical officer, Dr Frank […]

[…] and treating drug misuse, said UNODC chief executive Yury Fedotov in his closing message to the 58th Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in Vienna. Harm Reduction International (HRI) used the event to launch its ’10 by 20’ campaign, which wants to see governments redirect 10 per cent of the money they spend […]

[…] Most of my time was spent in the third sector and over the first ten years I was very proud of this. Often at the vanguard of harm reduction, we clearly had a positive impact on society – reducing drug-related deaths, IV-related harms, HIV and BBVs.   Back then drug teams were staffed by very […]

[…] for opiate users, and we all know that half of those who die have never been in treatment. Peer activism helps us get life-saving treatment, support and harm reduction advice into the hands of the people most at risk. It changes minds, and it changes lives.’ Challenges remained, however. ‘Everyone wants to do this and […]

[…] have sufficient training, so it really isn’t great for people with complex needs related to their substance dependence to be in one of these mainstream care homes.’  Harm Reduction Model While some homes tried to care for people with alcohol dependence using a harm reduction model – without requiring them to stop drinking as a […]

[…] poster campaign to raise awareness and challenge stigma and the Carry Naloxone app that tells people where they can pick up a kit.  Chris Rintoul, head of harm reduction at Cranstoun, explored what more we can do to reduce overdose deaths. He reflected on the resistance in his native Northern Ireland towards the shift to […]

[…] that limit and overcome these barriers and that promote service accessibility, uptake and coverage through the combined provision of interventions.’ Alexis Goosdeel: ‘We have the knowledge’ for harm reduction interventions The guidance reiterates the need for countries to ‘expand their coverage of a number of life-saving harm-reduction and treatment services which have proven to be […]

[…] evidence when it comes to things like pricing. Why does the precautionary principle not apply to alcohol – why is the onus on health advocates to prove harm? Because industry advocacy is more effective.’ The drinks industry ‘pushed the paradigm’ that harm was a problem of small specific groups like young binge drinkers, he […]

[…] than 130 people were executed for drug offences last year, an increase of 336 per cent on the figure for 2020, according to the latest report from Harm Reduction International (HRI). The death penalty for drugs remains on the statute books of 35 countries worldwide.  However, censorship and severe lack of transparency mean it is […]

[…] a reduction in the number of people accessing hospital treatment and greater rates of death caused by alcohol,’ she continued. ‘Tackling alcohol consumption and harms, particularly among high-risk groups, should be a critical objective of any COVID-19 recovery plans.’ Alcohol sales and harm in Scotland during the COVID-19 pandemic at www.publichealthscotland.scot – read it here

  The theme of HRIC 2013 was The Value/s of Harm Reduction, which reflected the urgent need to provide sufficient political and financial support to address the HIV epidemic driven by injecting drug use in many parts of the world, as well as the ethical basis of the harm reduction philosophy. On this page you’ll be […]

[…] the  streets’.  But clearly some people misunderstood what Blair meant. They were saying that the  Afghan  heroin  trade  wasn’t  fulfilling  its  potential,  and  with  the  right management they could treble it. Mark Steel,  Inbepenbent , b May June 2013 |  drinkanddrugbnewb | b Letters | Mediabsavvy www.drinkanddrugsnews.com CITRIC QUESTIbN bs a  harm reduction worker at the Cairn Centre, the main needle exchange in the centre of Dundee, I wondered if any of your readers could answer a question. We have noticed lately that our clients are asking for lots of citric – much more than they need. We asked them why and it turns out that the IDUs in this area have changed the order in which they prepare their hits. They put the heroin in first, then put in the citric, and then the water – instead of putting the water in before the citric. So we have been reminding clients of the correct order. However, a few of them are now telling us that the reason they need much more citric is to dissolve the adulterants in their heroin. They are telling us that the mixture is very white. Is there a new adulterant around, which is dissolved by acid, or is the heroin simply being adulterated even more, with the usual stuff? It would be great to hear what other NX workers, or others, think. George Donald, Cairn Centre, Dundee SUPPbRTING  […]

[…] managed carefully, the transition from high dead space to low dead space syringes is also a risk-free intervention for services to provide as part of a comprehensive harm reduction package. It must never be a substitute for the highest possible coverage of harm reduction services, but rather a complementary string to the bow to make […]

[…] ‘People who use drugs have dealt with very serious viruses before.’ The document, work on which was led by EuroNPUD project manager Mat Southwell, includes essential COVID-19-related harm reduction advice, as well as wider health information around the virus. It also contains guidance on successfully managing opioid substitution therapy during the crisis, including what to […]

[…] fund the research – we’re dominated by American research, and it’s something they do well, but at the time they’d try to squash anything to do with harm reduction, which was very sad. I think the EU has done a lot to forge links with the Latin American countries, particularly Spain and Portugal, because they […]

[…] class B to class C, a status it would manage to retain for a full five years before yo-yoing back up again. The government launches its Alcohol harm reduction strategy for England, which the BMJ quickly dismisses as the ‘dampest of squibs’. Any government serious about addressing the issue would increase the price, the journal […]

[…] is not a simplistic call to prioritise abstinence and recovery. Amazingly, after 40 years of debating it, too many people in the sector still see the abstinence/ harm reduction issue in binary terms – choose your side and criticise the other side. An effective system has to have a full menu of services. Good healthcare […]

[…] be selling contaminants and substances of concern. ‘They can sell anything and get lost in the crowd. ‘We’re not encouraging or condoning drug use, but we give harm reduction advice – 90 per cent of our service users have never spoken about drug use to a healthcare professional so we’re reaching people at the very […]

[…] talk about the obstacles in our way. Drug law enforcement was bound to be at the top of the agenda for a conference that cares passionately about harm reduction. While drug use was ‘ubiquitous, right across the population’, drug law enforce­ment was ‘a tool for social control’, said Niamh Eastwood, executive director at Release. Furthermore, […]

[…] need.’ ‘The continuing high rates of drug-related deaths and the emerging threat of overdoses associated with fentanyl points to a national need to improve the balance of harm reduction initiatives,’ added a spokesperson for Change Grow Live (CGL). ‘We know what effective harm reduction consists of: rapid access to effective substitute opioid prescription; supporting take-home […]

[…] in her speech. ‘You have to keep trying, and that’s what Kaleidoscope keep demonstrating. She spoke of her first visit to Kingston, where the charity was pioneering harm reduction through its needle exchange and methadone dispensing service. It was ‘chaotic, busy and noisy’ and ‘a fantastic example of harm reduction and recovery-orientated services’. Most importantly […]

[…] not more’, according to a report from the Health Poverty Action NGO. The money could then be ring-fenced to support the NHS as well as education and harm reduction programmes, it says. Legalisation ‘is an idea whose time has come’ With the Canadian senate about to vote on legalising cannabis for recreational use, regulation and […]

[…] page 5), he argued. ‘We need to recognise the difference between use and misuse of drugs, and we have a way to go to recognise how important harm reduction is – people will only go into treatment when they’re ready.’ When it came to recreational use, however, money was ‘better spent on those who have […]

[…] possession remains prohibited but users are referred to treatment programmes rather than prosecuted, moving from a ‘predominantly criminal justice approach towards one based on public health and harm reduction’, it says. The organisations are also calling for universal provision of ‘evidence-based’ drugs education through statutory PHSE education in schools, as well as the use of […]

[…] remains prohibited but users are referred to treatment programmes rather than prosecuted – moving from a ‘predominantly criminal justice approach towards one based on public health and harm reduction’, it says. The organisations are also calling for universal provision of ‘evidence-based’ drugs education through statutory PHSE education in schools, as well as the use of […]

[…] smoking and do not act as a gateway to smoking, says a report from the Royal College of Physicians (RCP). The controversial devices are therefore a useful harm reduction tool and ‘likely to be beneficial to UK public health’, it states. E-cigarette use is limited ‘almost entirely’ to people who already smoke, says the RCP, […]

[…] In terms of the treatment sector, Release would like to see the next government promote interventions based on the evidence rather than ideology, recognising the importance of harm reduction. That’s not to say that the availability of abstinence-based options is not important, but rather that we need a treatment system that responds to the needs […]

[…] ‘We have seen reductions in deaths and hospital admissions directly caused by sustained, high levels of alcohol consumption, and this is further evidence that those drinking at harmful and hazardous levels have reduced their consumption,’ said lead for the evaluation of MUP at Public Health Scotland, Clare Beeston. ‘MUP alone is not enough to […]

[…] to act or react. The key message to emerge was, ‘don’t panic, we already know what to do’, said Sumnall. Existing approaches were ‘entirely suitable’, with classic harm reduction components ‘absolutely vital’, including messages around not sharing syringes. ‘It’s not about new drugs,’ he said. ‘We’re not seeing new and novel harms… It’s about understanding […]

[…] illegal) habitually. You can contact me at frazerleonfoster@gmail.com Frazer Foster, by email   Banana splits  I went to a few of the big debates on abstinence versus harm reduction in London in 2008 and 2009 and listened to a lot of fear coming from the floor, and anger. Paul Hayes, chief executive of the NTA, […]

[…] programmes applying appropriate behavioural change models aimed at reducing alcohol-related harm, and promoting long-term behavioral change related to alcohol consumption. As a leading charity focused on alcohol harm reduction, the postholder will be Drinkaware’s internal expert regarding alcohol harm to individuals and will have a good understanding of brief interventions, as well as information, advice […]

[…] members apply these daily to achieve our mission of helping people change the direction of their lives and grow as individuals. We have an exciting opportunity for a  Harm Reduction Worker at Change Grow Live Nottinghamshire. In this role you will support the delivery of high quality service provision by creating an ambitious service user focused culture and engaging staff to provide […]

The Student Drug and Alcohol Awareness Week, run annually by Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS-UK), supports the move towards harm reduction in the Higher Education sector through asking institutions and organisations to share educational resources, run events and engage in meaningful conversation about student drug and alcohol use. It encourages the move away from zero […]

[…] what has happened in the field over that period. Kaleidoscope is a pioneering organisation – in its 55 years it has been at the forefront of advocating harm reduction, community support and systemic reform in drug policy. At the heart of the work is a deep commitment to empowering the most marginalised people in society […]

[…] drug user involvement. April Wareham and the team from Working with Everyone have embarked on tracing the path of drug user involvement that takes them from the harm reduction pioneers of the 1980s with a backdrop of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, through the rise of the recovery movement, to the here and now. Some of the […]

[…] of problematic drug use and drug-related deaths. ‘We had seven deaths in ten days a couple of weeks ago,’ he said. This meant multiple challenges for his harm reduction-based service, he said, including ‘huge’ levels of non-fatal overdoses, ‘benzo use through the roof’, high levels of femoral injecting and increasing crack use. Sixty per cent […]

[…] effects of psychoactive substances patterns of consumption differentiated across social groups responses to drug and alcohol-related harms from a range of perspectives, such as criminal justice, treatment, harm reduction, public health, and health inclusion We critically examine substance-related harms for individuals, families and communities and how harms are mediated by gender, class, race and ethnicity. […]

[…] service in Leeds.’ The help on offer is focused on more than supporting people to stop using drugs and get out of the chemsex scene. ‘We offer harm reduction advice and support, so that if people do still want to be involved, we can ensure they’re keeping themselves and everyone else as safe as possible,’ […]

A timely opportunity for harm reduction Drug consumption rooms are about so much more than needles. As discussion among people involved in facilities around Europe showed (p6), we have a timely opportunity here – to integrate harm reduction with our work on new substances and new risk behaviours and get in place environments that work […]

[…] get a proper picture of the distribution of novel opioids. 3: Consolidate our knowledge base – there’s a lot of information we don’t have that will inform harm reduction. How many fatalities or near misses related to smoking? We say ‘start low, go slow’ but with isotonitazene (for example) forming long-acting potent metabolites, what does […]

[…] officer for England, Professor Chris Whitty.   See the April issue of DDN for a feature on tackling nitazenes   Related articles: (Features, March 2024): Testing the limits – Harm reduction experts make the case for more drug checking for nitazenes and other substances. (Features, September 2023): DDN visited the Global Forum on Nicotine in Warsaw to […]

The country’s first regular drug checking service has been launched in Bristol. Operated by harm reduction organisation The Loop in partnership with Bristol City Council, Bristol Drugs Project (BDP), and the universities of Bath and Liverpool, the free, confidential service will operate once a month. The service will operate once a month in Bristol Licensed […]

Injecting drug use among under-18s remains a global data ‘blind spot’, according to a report from Harm Reduction International (HRI). Young people who inject drugs are ill-informed about the risks, less likely to access treatment and have ‘specific develop­mental, social and environmental vulnerabilities’, says Injecting drug use among under-18s: a snapshot of available data. There […]