DDN welcomes your letters for publication. Please email the editor, claire@cjwellings.com, or post them to DDN at Romney House, School Road, Ashford, Kent TN27 0LT. Letters may be edited for space or clarity.
Self-aggrandising nonsense
I am a little shocked and disappointed about Mr Brand’s comments regarding people prescribed methadone/ buprenorphine (DDN, October, page 11). I am ‘on a script’, and certainly do not think I am ‘fucked’ as Mr Brand so eloquently puts it.
My life is going excellently since I have been optimally prescribed methadone. I have a job/family/give back to my community and all in all am bobbing along rather well.
The problem, as I see it, is that there are MANY people doing very well on OST but as they are just busy getting on with the business of living, we are not very visible.
As a result, the only real visible OST patients are the slightly chaotic ones.
Honestly, given what he said, I’m disappointed that DDN gave Mr Brand such a large platform to spew his self-aggrandising, anti OST nonsense.
Sapphire Matthews, via DDN website
You can add your comments at the bottom of our online article
Scripted sense
So, Russell thinks I’m fucked due to being on a maintenance script. I must admit that in the past I did use on top until I got on an optimal dose of methadone. I’ve been working for over five years and many years ago I got a first-class degree while maintaining myself on OTC meds.
His views are indicative of the 12-step hardliners. Has he not read William White on medically assisted recovery? Or been in NA meetings where someone on anti-depressants has been advised to come off them as they’re psychoactive?
I used to go to NA often while scripted but couldn’t maintain it due to being honest about how methadone had saved my life and my complete refusal to accept the supernatural elements of the programme as I’m a dyed-in-the wool atheist and member of Humanists UK. I’ve heard other 12 steppers state that they wished everyone could have the programme which, to me, sounded like drinking Jim Jones’ Kool Aid.
Meanwhile I’ll happily stay ‘fucked’ according to Brand and get on with my day job helping disadvantaged people in Camden.
Peter Simonson, by email
You can add your comments at the bottom of our online article
Clarification
UKAN are here!
In and article in our last issue, ‘Help at hand’, UKAN introduced their new online community for people working in the field of addiction. We should have included the website address in the article – you can find the UKAN community at www.ukan.network