DS Daily - 18th January 2013 |
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Alcohol treatment system is performing well but more work is needed to achieve further improvements
The system for treating problem alcohol use amongst adults in England is working well for many people, statistics released today (17 January) by the NTA have shown | NTA, UK
Medical bodies unite to combat addiction to medicines
The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) publish a signed consensus statement aimed at reducing patient addiction to medicines such as tranquilisers and painkillers | RCGP, UK
NTA welcomes consensus statement on addiction to medicines
The NTA welcomes the publication by the medical bodies of a consensus statement setting out how medical practitioners, specialist services and patients can work together to improve responses for people dependent on prescribed or over-the-counter medicines | NTA, UK
Your chance to contribute to an independent review of the Drinkaware Trust
Individuals and organisations are invited to contribute documents towards a review of the activities and effectiveness of the Drinkaware Trust | DoH, UK
Turning evidence into practice: Helping clients to access and engage with mutual aid
The first in a series of briefings (PDF) to support commissioners and providers who want to improve the recovery orientation of their services | NTA, UK
Craven drug users warned about small blue pills
North Yorkshire Police have issued a warning to drug users in the Craven area after a number of users have suffered severe reactions after taking small blue pills | North Yorkshire Police, UK
More elderly people at risk of developing serious mental health problems as alcohol misuse rises
An increasing number of older people are drinking above recommended limits, leaving them at greater risk of developing mental health problems | SLaM, UK
New year resolutions and the alcohol industry
Henry Ashworth, the co-chair of the Responsibility Deal Alcohol Network, talks about the resolutions being made by the alcohol industry and how organisations who have not yet signed up can get involved | DoH, UK
Public Health Briefing Papers
In this new series of briefing papers [Mentor] explores public health issues including underage conception, smoking, crime and anti-social behaviour, alcohol and drug harms and disengagement from school | Mentor, UK
'You may have to suffer a bit': a new solution for prescription drug abuse – taking painkillers away from the poor
Imagine a British politician saying: we're so worried by the abuse of prescription drugs that we're going to reduce the supply of powerful painkillers to our hospitals | Telegraph, UK
The House I Live In - watch now
Storyville: As America remains embroiled in overseas conflict, a less visible war is taking place at home, costing countless lives, destroying families and inflicting untold damage on future generations of Americans | BBC, UK
Research for straitened times
Latest additions to the Effectiveness Bank question whether in these straitened times we need to do as much alcohol screening, drink-drive interventions, and supervising methadone consumption, while the fourth evaluates a way to tackle Britain's most troubled and costly families | Drug and Alcohol Findings, UK
Assembly launches investigation into London careers advice in a bid to tackle unemployment
The London Assembly is holding and inquiry into careers information, advice and guidance in London. LVSC will be responding, and we need your ideas and feedback for our response | LVSC, UK
Does 12-step Treatment Work by Inducing PTSD?
AA and NA may keep you clean and sober by keeping you scared | Psychology Today, UK
Why my social work experience led me to specialise on foetal alcohol spectrum disorders
After 27 years as a practising social worker Liam Curran became a certified trainer on foetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Here, he tells Community Care about the highs and lows of his new job | Community Care, UK
The persistence of “legal highs” is forcing a new debate about drugs policy
Anybody walking into the Shiva Headshop, in the east London suburb of Greenwich, could be forgiven for thinking that drugs are legal in Britain | Economist, UK
Alcohol ban orders set to be debated
Licensing chiefs in part of Lancashire are to debate whether to introduce new powers to restrict the ability of bars and clubs to sell alcohol early in the morning | Lancashire Evening Post, UK
Sustainable tourism boosts local economies in Colombia
For many years, the region of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in the north of Colombia was known as an illicit crop cultivation hub | UNODC, USA
Housing and Employment Key to Beating Addiction for Blacks and Hispanics
Socioeconomic status may stand in the way of successful substance abuse treatment—even when the treatment is low-cost or free | RWJF, USA
Lawmakers ‘unjustifiably focus’ on illicit drugs rather than alcohol: report
Lawmakers around the world “unjustifiably” treat illicit drugs as if they were a greater public health concern than alcohol, according to a report published online | Wall Street Journal, USA
Why People Who Hate Drugs Should Want to End the Drug War
Many people hate drugs. It is easy to see why. Most families have had a loved one with a problematic relationship to alcohol or other drugs | Huff Post, USA
Methadone finds its way into clean, sober housing
Drug therapy injects change into wary recovery community | Portland Tribune, USA
Brains at low risk for cocaine dependence are shaped differently
People who take cocaine over many years without becoming addicted have a brain structure which is significantly different from those individuals who developed cocaine-dependence, researchers have discovered | Machines Like Us, USA
Supervised Injecting Facilities: What the literature tells us (PDF)
Briefing from the Drug Policy Modelling Programme | DPMP, Australia
Drunk tanks get watered down a bit
Two years after going to the election promising "drunk tanks" to help deal with alcohol-related violence, the government has finally announced one | Telegraph, Australia
Access to Alcohol Outlets, Alcohol Consumption and Mental Health
The objective of this study was to investigate residential exposure to alcohol outlets in relation to alcohol consumption and mental health morbidity (anxiety, stress, and depression) | PLOS One, Australia