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Weekly news - 5th January 2024

In date order, Monday to Friday

Smokers encouraged to quit this new year for their health

The NHS is launching a brand new smokefree campaign to encourage all 5.3 million smokers in England to make a quit attempt this January | Department of Health and Social Care and The Rt Hon Andrea Leadsom MP, UK

Is the UK sleepwalking into a lethal US-style opioid drugs crisis?

Warning that drugs so potent a ‘grain of sand’ dosage can be fatal could spark a US-style drug deaths crisis | Independent, UK

Britons second-biggest users of cocaine globally behind Australia, data reveals

Ian Hamilton, an associate professor of addiction at the University of York, told the Times cocaine was “better value and more available than it’s ever been”, and that British drinking culture was fueling high cocaine use | Evening Standard, UK

Dry January. Are you in?

Take on 31 days alcohol-free with Alcohol Change UK for a total body and mind reset. From better sleep and a mental health boost, to saving money and time - there's a whole lot to gain this Dry January | Alcohol Change UK, UK

Relax rules on research into illegal drugs, say advisers

Independent government advisers have called for rule changes to allow more research into therapeutic uses of illegal drugs, including psychedelics | BBC, UK

Alcohol misuse and loneliness ‘increase risk of early-onset dementia’

Ground-breaking research identifies 15 factors that significantly raise chance of developing illness | Guardian, UK

Smokers twice as likely to quit using cytisine, study finds

Cytisine pills recently gained regulatory approval in the UK but cost may be a factor in availability | Guardian, UK

Wales drug use rooms could save addicts' lives - claim

Wales should follow Scotland's drug room trials to combat rising deaths, according to the chairman of the Senedd's cross-party addiction group | BBC, UK

[Open access] This article draws on three mutually independent ethnographic studies to explore the private sector market for image and performance enhancing drug (IPED) harm reduction in the UK, specifically examining (1) steroid accessory supplements; (2) blood testing services; and (3) bloodletting services | IJDP, UK

Cumbrians cutting out alcohol could save the NHS £2 million

Almost £2 million was spent treating 13,000 people in A&E with alcohol-related injuries and illnesses between 2018 and 2021, North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust have revealed | ITV, UK

‘I can’t believe it works’: How horses are helping drug addicts to stay clean

With addiction problems spiralling in the UK, experts are turning to novel methods to help people turn their lives around | i news, UK

Recovery of neuropsychological function following abstinence from alcohol in adults diagnosed with an alcohol use disorder: Systematic review of longitudinal studies

[Open access] Alcohol use disorders (AUD) associate with structural and functional brain differences, including impairments in neuropsychological function; however, reviews (mostly cross-sectional) are inconsistent with regards to recovery of such functions following abstinence. Recovery is important, as these impairments associate with treatment outcomes and quality of life | PLOS One, UK

YouGov survey shows rise in popularity of low and no alcohol alternatives, with young adults now the biggest consumers

The Portman Group’s sixth annual survey in partnership with YouGov shows that young people are the biggest consumers of low and no alcohol alternatives, with nearly half (44%) of 18-24 year olds surveyed considering themselves either an occasional or regular drinker of alcohol alternatives, compared to 31% in 2022*. Trends also show that the younger generation are now the most sober age group overall, with 39% of 18-24 year olds not drinking alcohol at all | Portman Group, UK

Kent rehab centre launches support service for ex-residents

A Kent-based drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre has launched a service to prevent people from relapsing into addiction. The Kenward Trust in Yalding, near Maidstone, is offering a programme called Recovery Plus to people who move on from living at the centre | BBC, UK

Prescription drugs sold online without 'robust' checks

Patients' lives are being put at risk because it is too easy to buy prescription-only medicines from online pharmacies, a leading pharmacist says | BBC, UK

'We had to investigate our autistic son's death'

The parents of an autistic teenager who died from an accidental overdose say they had to investigate his death themselves to find out what killed him | BBC, UK

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