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Daily news - 2nd December 2025 |
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UK news
Addiction Awareness Week 2025 in review - The Conversations That Changed Everything
As Addiction Awareness Week 2025 comes to an end, we reflect on a powerful, inspiring and thrilling week of campaigning that evidently got the nation talking about addiction | Forward Trust, UK
Alcohol-free drinks popular during pregnancy – but new research shows guidelines are lacking
Despite widespread use during pregnancy and continued growth of the no- and low-alcohol drinks market – such as alcohol-free or low-alcohol beers, wines and spirits – the findings highlight that many women feel there is a lack of guidance from healthcare professionals about these alternatives, prompting calls for clearer information and support | University of Plymouth, UK
Peer support to help people with alcohol, liver and mental health needs
A new research study funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) started on Monday 1 December. The Care for Alcohol, Liver and Mental health needs (CALM) project aims to develop and test a new model of peer support to help people struggling with these challenges. The project is working closely with people with lived experience and there are opportunities to get involved | University of Plymouth, UK
Four-fifths of drivers support alcohol interlocks to cut drink-driving
Four-in-five drivers in the UK (82%) support the introduction of alcohol interlocks to reduce instances of repeat drink-driving, with just 7% against such use and 12% unsure, new RAC figures show | RAC, UK
Drug spray used 'more than police force expected'
A life-saving spray which reverses the effect of opioid drug overdoses has been used by North Yorkshire Police "a lot more" than expected, the force said. Since introducing it in April 2024, 337 police officers and police community support officers have been trained to use and carry naloxone in the county. It has been used 37 times, officers said, with 17 incidents recorded where a drug-user's life was saved or their health improved, according to force harm reduction officer Danny Stannard | BBC, UK
‘I began vaping at 14 – I didn’t know it was laced with zombie drug Spice’
Oscar* wasn’t a stranger to vaping. Like many of his friends, the 14-year-old would often sneak the odd nicotine hit in when his parents weren’t around. However, when the secondary student’s aunt died two years ago, the teen decided to turn to cannabis oil vapes to cope with his grief | Metro, UK
Down but not out of it – how Brighton’s sober homeless slip through the cracks
You’re homeless but you’re sober. You sleep on the street but you don’t drink or do drugs. This is the reality for Andy, who sells The Big Issue in Queen’s Road, near Brighton station | Brighton and Hove News, UK
'Significant drop' in smoking rates
The percentage of people that smoke in Oxfordshire fell to 7.5% in 2024, according to the latest figures | BBC, UK
Is it true that … a glass of wine a day is good for your heart?
Moderate wine consumption may benefit your cardiac health, but foods such as grapes and berries offer similar advantages without the negative effects | Guardian, UK
Morrisons confirms major change is being made at counters inside over 400 stores across UK
The vape retailer, The E-Cig Store, has signed a deal to open concessions within Morrisons’ stores across the UK | The Sun, UK
Government licensing reform sparks concerns over public health and local accountability - podcast
In our latest podcast we spoke to Professor Niamh Fitzgerald and Dr James Nicholls of the University of Stirling about the UK government’s recent alcohol licensing Taskforce and its proposed reforms. We discussed the implications of the proposals for public health, local accountability, and the hospitality industry, and explored why economic growth arguments are being prioritised over health considerations | IAS, UK
141. Clubs, Raves, Drugs and Social Media with Simon Doherty - podcast
In this episode of the Drug Science Podcast, we talk to Simon Doherty, a journalist and content creator with a focus on harm reduction. He explores how reporting on electronic music and rave culture naturally led to his work on harm reduction. He goes on to dissect Talk to Frank and its flaws in providing accurate, evidence-based information. Finally, by comparing the unique landscape of free parties to the regulated club scene, Doherty discusses why and how clubs avoid common sense harm reduction techniques, endangering clubgoers | Drug Science, UK
GPhC Chief Pharmacy Officer is made a Royal Pharmaceutical Society Fellow
Chief Pharmacy Officer at the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), Roz Gittins, has been designated as a Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) for distinction in the profession of pharmacy | General Pharmaceutical Council, UK
Motorists back police crackdown on drink-drivers
Police have launched a month-long campaign in Lincolnshire to catch drink and drug drivers over the festive period | BBC, UK
'More people drink and drug drive every year'
Lancashire Police have launched 'Operation Limit' in a bid to curb rising levels of drink and drug-related casualties over Christmas with extra road patrols, drink and drug check sites and educational messages | BBC, UK
Detective drove to work while high on cocaine
A Merseyside Police misconduct panel heard Detective Constable Lewis McVey had driven to work on 31 July while high on the Class A drug | BBC, UK
International news
Mexican authorities kill one of country’s top fentanyl traffickers
Pedro Inzunza Coronel, alias ‘El Pichón’, was killed during an anti-drug operation by the Mexican navy in Sinaloa | Guardian, UK
With Psychedelics, I Can Truly Help as a Clinical Psychologist” – Interview with Brian Richards, Psy.D.
Clinical psychologist Brian Richards, Psy.D., explains how psychedelics can transform palliative care—from creating truly healing therapeutic spaces to supporting patients facing the end of life | Drug Reporter, Hungary
Study finds persistent gaps in mental health, alcohol use between sexual minorities and heterosexuals
A study conducted by scientists at Åbo Akademi University, Finland, shows that sexual minority individuals continue to report higher levels of mental health symptoms compared to the rest of the population | Medical Xpress, USA
Few evidence-based medication options exist for teens with substance use disorder
According to national estimates, nearly 2.2 million U.S. adolescents aged 12–17 met the criteria for at least one substance use disorder (SUD) in 2023. Drug and alcohol-related concerns are the second leading cause of death and disability within this age group and the third leading cause of death for children nationally | Medical Xpress, USA
Record cocaine seizure in Haitian waters underlines country’s ‘pivotal’ trafficking role
A record seizure of cocaine off the coast of Haiti has underlined the island nation’s “pivotal role in trafficking routes linking South America, the Caribbean and the United States of America,” according to the United Nations | UNODC, USA
‘It doesn’t discriminate’: Majority of Sudbury overdose deaths occurring behind closed doors
A report from Public Health Sudbury and Districts shows that most fatal drug poisonings in the region are happening inside people’s homes — not downtown, in encampments or in public spaces | Yahoo News, USA
Labours lost: For families, the tragedy of opioids is beyond measure. For Canada, the cost is tens of billions in lost productivity, a Globe analysis finds
On the evening of Aug. 5, Michael Fairchild left his brother’s home in northeast Ottawa and made his way to a street near one of the Byward Market’s homeless shelters. There, he bought and smoked crack that it’s believed was laced with fentanyl. When someone found him shortly after, his face was blue. Twice before in recent months, Mr. Fairchild had similarly fallen unconscious after a suspected fentanyl overdose. This time, efforts to revive him failed | Globe and Mail, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Break the Silence, Not the Family: How Service Design Can Help Families Thrive
Many mothers don’t ask for help because they fear losing their children. For women experiencing domestic abuse or sexual violence, the fear of child removal can be as terrifying as the abuse itself. Alcohol and drug use often follow, coping mechanisms for managing the fear, the violence, and the unrelenting stress of trying to keep themselves and their children safe. At Phoenix, the scale of the problem is clear: 65% of women entering our residential rehab report experiencing domestic abuse, and of these, 57% have parental responsibility | Phoenix Futures blog, UK
Judgement kills: Why we must end the stigma against women experiencing abuse
During this year’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, Rachael Clegg calls for people to address the significant shame and stigma women experiencing domestic abuse face for simply trying to survive | Big Issue opinion, UK
Drug use is changing in England – with more adults showing signs of dependence
Drug use appears to be changing in England – both in the types of drugs people take and their potency, according to our latest survey of adult mental health and wellbeing | Conversation, UK
Alcohol-free drinks popular during pregnancy – but new research shows guidelines are lacking
New research reveals that more than 7 in 10 (71%) women have consumed alcohol-free or low-alcohol drinks during pregnancy, signalling their growing popularity among expectant mothers seeking safer alternatives to alcohol | Alcohol Change UK, UK