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Daily news - 19th September 2025 |
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UK news
Evaluation of Individual Placement and Support (IPS) in community drug and alcohol treatment services
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), part of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) commissioned RAND Europe, Figure 8 and King's College London to conduct an evaluation of the scale-up of IPS in drug and alcohol treatment in England. The aim of this study is to evaluate the implementation and delivery of IPS at a national scale and to inform service improvement, drawing on learnings and knowledge of good practice from more experienced IPS teams | RAND, UK
Experts back ketamine for depression, but call for more research on other drugs
In a recent statement, the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) laid out its stance on psychedelic and related substances for medical use, which includes pharmacological versions of hallucinogens, ketamine, and MDMA | ITV, UK
Red carpet graduation celebrates next generation of recovery workers
The red carpet was rolled out at the Vue Cinema in Preston for a truly unforgettable evening: the graduation of learners from our pilot Level 2 Recovery Worker Qualification. This glamorous celebration marked the culmination of months of study, personal growth and achievement | Change Grow Live, UK
Alcoholic Drinks: Advertising
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of alcohol advertising regulations in reducing (a) cancer and (b) other alcohol-related harms | They work for you, UK
Alcoholic Drinks: Labelling and Packaging
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the additional costs to breweries arising from alcohol labelling and packaging regulations; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of those costs on brewery closures in the next financial year | They work for you, UK
Dealers jailed after raids found heroin and cocaine
Two drug dealers have been jailed after police raids on their homes found heroin and crack cocaine, as well as bundles of cash and high-value clothing and jewellery | BBC, UK
Boy, 14, and woman arrested over illegal vapes
A woman and a teenage boy have been arrested after about 200 illegal vapes, believed to be intended for sale to children, were recovered from a property | BBC, UK
International news
Alcohol, tobacco and food giants block health reforms, says WHO
Pressure from tobacco, alcohol, and ultra-processed food companies is stopping governments from putting in place life-saving health policies, the World Health Organization said on Thursday | Reuters, UK
‘I tried to escape with drugs, pills and alcohol’: Björn Borg on his misery and mayhem after quitting tennis
The sporting superstar walked away from success and adulation at 26 – much to everyone’s bemusement. He opens up about his secret life and the depression, cocaine, overdoses and aggressive cancer that almost killed him | Guardian, UK
US revokes visas of Indian executives over fentanyl trafficking
The US embassy in India has revoked and denied visas of some Indian business executives and corporate leaders over their alleged involvement in trafficking fentanyl precursors | BBC, UK
Parents of teen who died at music festival plead with Queensland government not to ban pill testing
Josh Tam’s parents have asked LNP to ‘step aside and allow the experts to lead the way in keeping our loved ones safe’ | Guardian, UK
Activity-Based Funding in Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services: Clinical Staff Perspectives and Practice Implications
[Open access] Since 2001 Australian health services have moved towards funding the volume of activity a unit records. It may work for standardised medical procedures, but staff say the systems fail to capture (and can restrict) the complex, wide-ranging and individualised inputs involved in responding to problem substance use | Addiction, UK
Call for 10 small grants: International Drug Users Day 2025, “We are Here! We are Proud! Unshaken, Unbroken and Loud.” (PDF)
INPUD will provide a small grant of US$500 to 10 (ten) drug user-led networks/organisations from around the world to celebrate International Drug Users Day 2025. We would like to hear from you and read your creative ideas in celebrating our existence, persistence, dignity, pride, resilience, and noise. The deadline to submit your small grant proposal is 21 September 2025 | INPUD, UK
Youth drinking in Ireland: what’s the real picture?
The report, which draws on data from national and international sources, points to considerable improvements in some respects including an increase in the average age at which young people start drinking and an improvement in Ireland’s position compared with EU averages | Alcohol Action Ireland, Ireland
How vacant HSE buildings could be used to create a new public drug addiction centre in Wexford
Calls have been made for the establishment of a new facility in Enniscorthy for those dealing with substance addiction. Proposing that existing HSE buildings, currently vacant, be utilised for the facility, Councillor John O’Rourke said the centre could serve not just Co Wexford but the entire south east region | Irish Independent, Ireland
Feasibility of direct induction onto long-acting injectable buprenorphine
In 2024 in Melbourne 129 patients skipped the recommended/required step of stabilising on sublingual buprenorphine before being injected with a long-acting form of the medication. Just four experienced precipitated withdrawal and two-thirds came back for their next injection, suggesting direct induction can safely streamline treatment entry | JSAT, USA
Exploring the role of genetic factors in personality disorders among women with heroin dependence
Heroin dependence is a severe psychiatric issue that often coexists with mood disorders and personality disorders, which further compound the complexity and severity of the dependence. The utilization of genetic factors in predicting psychiatric disorders has made notable advancements. We enrolled female patients diagnosed with heroin dependence (n = 263) and assessed individuals with paranoid personality disorder, depressive personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, and schizoid personality disorder based on the DSM-IV criteria | Springer Nature, USA
Harm Reduction, Medication-Assisted Treatment Key to Reducing Opioid-Associated ED Visits: Refat Rasul Srejon, MPH
Refat Rasul Srejon, MPH, continues his conversation with The American Journal of Managed Care® by expanding on findings from his study, "ACA Dependent Coverage Extension and Young Adults' Substance-Associated ED Visits." | AJMC, USA
US war on “narco-terrorists” violates the right to life, warn UN experts after deadly vessel strike
UN experts* today condemned the extrajudicial execution by the United States of 11 people when it sank a civilian vessel in the Caribbean Sea on 2 September 2025, and three people on another vessel on 15 September | UNOCHR, USA
Core elements of recovery among those with direct lived experience
There are many pathways to recovery from substance use disorder, but do all recovery pathways lead to the same destination? Examining over 9,000 individuals, this study sought to understand the shared markers of success in the recovery process | Recovery Research Institute, USA
Can gabapentin help people with alcohol use disorder by improving sleep?
Gabapentin is a commonly prescribed medication for alcohol use disorder, though it is not FDA approved to treat the disorder and its therapeutic mechanisms of action remain unclear. Heavy alcohol use is known to radically affect the nature, duration, and quality of sleep. Therefore, this study examined how gabapentin affected sleep in people seeking alcohol use disorder treatment, with the idea that this medication may be indirectly improving alcohol use outcomes by improving sleep | Recovery Research Institute, USA
An HIV outbreak in Maine shows the risk of Trump's crackdown on homelessness and drug use
Penobscot County, Maine, is grappling with the largest HIV outbreak in the state's history. Home to Bangor, a city of roughly 32,000, the county has identified 28 new cases over nearly two years. That's seven times the typical number for that length of time. Nearly all cases are among people who use drugs and are homeless | Medical Xpress, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Reflections from Wolverhampton Recovery Walk: Celebrating Recovery
“Each year, a different city hosts the National Recovery Walk. Wolverhampton won the bid for 2025, and the celebrations began with a recovery conference at Molineux Stadium, home of Wolverhampton Wanderers. The event was organised by organised by FAVOR UK, The Good Shepherd, SUIT, Recovery Near You and our local authority commissioning team.” | NACRO blog, UK
US Decertifies Colombia While Petro Reconsiders Aerial Glyphosate Spraying
The US Government has just updated its list of major drug producing or trafficking countries, criticising Colombia’s difficulties to control its illegal cocaine market. In turn, President Gustavo Petro, in his struggle to maintain control over territorial governance, coca cultivation and political attacks, is exploring the possibility of resuming land and aerial fumigation of coca crops with glyphosate, a known carcinogenic and environmentally damaging herbicide | Talking Drugs, UK