Prof. Nutt Debate - the resignations continue...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8353685.stm

The link above will take to you a article published by the BBC that reports that three more government advisers have resigned after Mr Johnson sacked his chief drugs adviser, Prof. David Nutt.

Whilst the ACMD have been in discussions with the Home Office about how to work effectively with each other, it would seem that the sacking of Prof. Nutt for 'crossing a line' into politics has had a significant impact, so far resulting in 5 council members resigning.

On one hand the Home Office is publishing positive statements about how to go forward – on the other hand, many people, including the Lib Dem's science spokesman relay further criticism:
“The fact the resignations come after Alan Johnson met the ACMD demonstrates he just doesn't get it when it comes to the importance of respecting the academic freedom and integrity of independent, unpaid, science adviser.”

What do you think about politics and science and will the Home Office continue to pay for their decision with more resignations?

 

Airbrushing Ban - impact on eating disorders?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1226162/Call-ban-airbrushing-ads-leave-girls-loathing-bodies.html

The above link refers to an article published by the Daily Mail that discusses the call from 40 of the world's leading experts on body image to ban airbrushing photos in advertising for under 16s.

The experts advise that airbrushing models to give them unrealistic bodies has helped to create “a generation of young women with eating disorders and depression”.

In response to the experts claims that such unnaturally skinny models can make 'girls as young as five become self-conscious about their weight' advertisers have suggested that what goes on at home (e.g. diet and parental influence) is more likely to influence young woman.

The Advertising Standards Authority has already received over a thousand complaints about airbrushed images, but so far has refused to act; stating that the complaints have no scientific foundation – in response four academics have completed a literature review of 100 academic studies suggesting that there is a scientific bases to the complaints.

What do you think – will banning airbrushed images have a significant impact on young people developing eating disorders?

Prof. Nutt - what do you think?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/6509297/MPs-demand-answers-over-Nutt-sacking.html

The link above refers to an article published by The Telegraph that discusses the letter that the Commons Science and Technology Committee has written to Mr Johnson requesting details about the sacking of Prof. Nutt - specifically if he had breached the terms of his contract or the codes of practise before he was forced to resign.

There is much controversy over the sacking of one the countries leading advisors - what do you think?  Do politics and science have some common ground or if researched based evidence at odds with what the government thinks we need to know?

 

1 in 2 weekend ambulance calls out related to alcohol...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/scotland/6262963/Two-thirds-of-Scottish-ambulance-weekend-call-outs-linked-to-alcohol.html

The above link refers to an article published in the Telegraph regarding the number of Scottish ambulance weekend calls out that are related to alcohol. The article discusses the statistics that suggest that two thirds of weekend ambulance call outs are directly related to alcohol.

The Scottish Ambulance Service complained that these cases were delaying medics' response times to real emergencies and gave it's backing to 'any initiative' that would see the numbers drop.

“SNP ministers hailed the figures as support for their controversial plan to introduce a minimum price for alcohol, mooted at 40p per unit”.

“This would increase the price of cheap lager and cider brought in shops and supermarkets, but most beverages purchased in pubs and clubs already cost more than this threshold”.

“Cathy Jamieson, the Scottish party’s health spokesman, said: “This situation cannot be allowed to continue because if ambulance crews are attending to drunks they may not be available for a genuine emergency.”

Robert Brown, Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesman, said: “Alcohol-related call outs are largely preventable if, as a nation, we can adopt a more responsible approach to alcohol consumption.”

 

 

Freshers week drinking - problem or right of passage?

Over the last few weeks numerous reports regarding 'freshers week' drinking have been aired on the television, heard on the radio and read about on the internet. Some stories have focused on the fact that first year university students can go out on a pub crawl expecting to buy a pint for a £1 and a shot for as little as 20p. Other broadcasts have looked at the 'chaperone' service that pub crawl leaders (older students) are offering, I.e. having fun and drinking responsibility, and whether it is actually possible with low drink prices and inexperienced teenagers. Whilst others argue that going to 10 pubs at a pound a pint is not drinking responsibly. Some news reports have touched on the facts that some of the older student population drink as irresponsibly as those in their first few weeks despite having more experience of drinking and university life.

The problem with generalising about freshers week is that whilst there appears to be a general trend in 18 year old students getting heavily intoxicated, this is not limited to freshers week and nor does it extend to all new students. The mentally of 18 years old moving into halls having never been away from home before and never experienced drinking alcohol before can perhaps mean that they are not equipped to cope with the inevitable (?) binge drinking that is likely to ensue, but surely that applies to everyone, regardless of whether they go to uni or not? Do you think that first week university binge drinking is a major problem, or like some of the students (new and old) that have been answering blogs all over the UK – is it just a right of passage? And if so, are you agreeing that the beneficial consequences (sociality, experience....) outweigh the negative consequences (alcohol poisoning, hospital admissions, accidents...)

 

The Crazy Chemist - making a point or pointless?

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Legal-Highs-Frank-Campaign-Is-Not-Eough-Says-Family-Of-Drug-Death-Girl-Hester-Stewart/Article/200909315385088?lpos=UK_News_First_Home_Article_Teaser_Region_5&lid=ARTICLE_15385088_Legal_Highs%3A_Frank_Campaign_Is_Not_Enough%2C_Says_Family_Of_Drug_Death_Girl_Hester_Stewart

The above link is to an article published on the Sky News website that refers to the death of 21 year old, Hester Stewart, who died a few hours after using GBL. GBL is currently legal, although is reported to be classified as class C later this year.

The family has criticised the home office and the 'Crazy Chemist' Talk To Frank campaign and state that this young woman would still be alive if she had been aware of the dangers.

There are two points here, one the pointless loss of a young life and the other wider picture: Whist it is clear that classifying drugs as illegal does not stop people from using them, conversely, does classifying drugs as legal make people think they are safe (or at least safer than their illegal alternatives?).

If this is the case then when is education going to change? Isn't it about time that alcohol and other legal drugs, such as OTC pain killers are considered in the substance abuse equation more readily?

Do you think campaigns like the Crazy Chemist are effective or widespread enough ti actually make a difference?

 

DrugScope 2009 Survey - purity low = mixing high...

http://www.drugscope.org.uk/ourwork/pressoffice/pressreleases/Street_drug_trends_2009.htm

The above link refers to the 'DrugScope Street Drug Trends Survey 2009: Falling illegal drug purity 'accelerates trend' in uses combining different drugs'.

This survey emphasises that recreational use and substance addiction is unlikely to involve just one drug. Whilst the purity of drugs (such as cocaine have fallen to as low as 2% on the illegal market) has contributed to poly drug use there are also other motivations for the increase in people using a mixture of drugs. A significant proportion of users report using alcohol with illegal drugs, but the rise in the popularity of 'legal highs' and prescription drugs have added to the problem of 'mixing'.

When you think of addiction or recreational drug use how many drugs come to mind? Four? Five? Maybe more? The facts are that substance abuse does not revolve around a few drugs, but a huge variety of legal, illegal and new substances that have unreported effects, especially when mixed with other drugs. It is well known that Benzodiazepines when mixed with alcohol can be extremely dangerous, but what about drugs that are only just registering on the radars of many support groups? Ketamine is a prime example, it has been available on the streets of the UK for over 10 years, but how many GPs know about the drug and how it is used?

Heroin supply clinic - cuts crime? Other thoughts?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8255418.stm

The link above refers to the news story published by the BBC this morning regarding three clinics who have been trialling a new approach to address heroin addiction. Over the past 6 months these clinics have been supplying heroin for over 100 heroin addicts – the scheme involves clients attending a clinic twice a day for supervised injecting – unlike previous treatment plans, these clinics are not just using methadone, but also heroin.

The findings that have been reported this morning include a reduction in personal use of street drugs, meaning less money being spent on the illegal drug market and a reduction in crime. However, at £15,000 per person per year the NTA is considering the financial implications of the scheme. Aside from finances (treatment is reported to be three times as expensive as alternative treatment, but roughly three times cheaper than a year long prison sentence), this trial has raised many points...Some about the individual and some about crime and money....
For example, whilst the news report this morning suggested the scheme is designed to stabilise heroin addicts, it said nothing about the end goal – I.e. how long do individuals attend the scheme, what does completing the programme result in – safer using or recovery? Additionally, whilst the report advised that the 127 participants involved in the scheme had failed at other kinds of treatment, they have not reported any details. There is a proportion of addicts who do not successfully complete treatment the first time – this can be due many reasons, not least because the individual has gone into a unsuitable clinic and has been unable to engage. The point is, would £15,000 be better spent on 6 months of rehab where addicts learn to live drug free in a supervised and supportive environment, or do you think this new scheme will path the way to a healthily population and a serious reduction in drug related crime?

Hidden Addiction...

The stereotype of addicts is accurate and outdated. True or false?

Does the general population think of alcoholics as people holding white labelled bottles on park benches and of heroin addicts as homeless? If so, why is this...films, narrow minded TV documentaries and biased news reports? But what about the wider picture – the hidden addicts? The majority of addicts are not stereotypical, in fact their addictions are largely hidden from their families, friends and employers. Do we really know what we are looking for when we define someone an addict? For example, sex and love addictions as well as gambling and eating disorders are prevalent in the UK, but not so widely acknowledged as drug and alcohol addictions, at least not in films and journalism.

How can we provide support for all addicts if we don't know how to identify an active addiction? If you are worried about changes in a persons behaviour it might not be anything to do with an addiction, however it could also be directly to do with an addiction that we just don't see – or choose to see. Currently, there are hundreds of drivers who are over the drink drive limit, hundreds of people using at lunch time and hundreds of people who are hiding their addictions from the world around them – not everyone fits a stereotype.

When is old enough to be formally educated about addiction?

Is there enough information available to children and parents about legal and illegal drugs? There is plenty of information available on the internet, but is that enough to educate parents and their young children about the reality of developing a drug or alcohol addiction? Should there be more education in schools and if so, what age should children first be experiencing lessons about addiction? Would you say that 8 years old is too young or that 14 years is too old?

 

How could we go about implementing more information for children whose parents have an addiction: crisis lines, on line info, school welfare etc...

Know your limits?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8225029.stm

“English holidaymakers are turning to drink on their breaks with the average adult consuming eight alcoholic drinks a day, a survey suggests. That equates to 80 drinks over the course of an average holiday, to well over 200 units of alcohol. More than a quarter said they ended up drinking three times more than normal. But 70% of the 3,500 adults questioned by the Department of Health said they plan to make September the 'new January' by cutting back.”

Above is a section of an article published on the BBC website. The article mainly discusses how the English population over indulge when they go on their summer holidays and plan to cut back in September (the 'new January').

The advice is:

“Cutting back on alcohol for September is a great place to start; if you find yourself drinking all or most days of the week, start by taking at least two days off each week.”

The basic notion of the article is to find a healthy balance – which in my mind, with all the recent reports about the dangers of binge drinking, does not equate to binging for the whole of your summer holiday and then take a few days off in September. This is a cynical and one dimensional interpretation of a generally good piece of advice, however I am wondering how this sort of information is interpreted by those who do drink 200 units (or more) during their summer break? The article advises that a quarter of the 3,500 involved in the survey stated that they consume three times as much alcohol when on holiday compared to when at home. Although statistics can be misleading, taking the figures from this article, that is suggesting that even when at home some people are drinking 67 (200/3) units per week, which is still way over what the NHS advise is good for us:

 

Men should not regularly drink more than three to four units of alcohol per day.


Women should not regularly drink more than two to three units of alcohol per day.

So, should we be more concerned about people who overindulged on holiday where booze is likely to be cheap and free flowing or the 10 million people who regularly exceed (and often quadruple) the recommended daily amount of alcohol from the comfort of their own homes?

 

Pregnancy and illegal drugs - enough info and support or not?

If you want to stop smoking there is a host of government funded initiatives to support you - groups, one 2 ones, telephone buddies, patches, chewing gum, inhalers, giving up plans and tools to help you break your own individual smoking cycle....There is even a section dedicated to helping pregnant mothers to stop smoking (also how father's smoking can impact on unborn children). However, there seems to be a significant lack of readily available information regarding how illegal drug use during pregnancy can affect your unborn child.

It is common knowledge that using any substance when pregnant has the potential to cause negative consequences for developing babies, but it is interesting that you can watch numerous videos of a foetus' reactions to cigarette smoke, but getting the medical facts on how illegal drugs affect your unborn child is not nearly as accessible. Could this be a reflection of our countries determination to ignore wide spread drug use and addiction or is it that the facts, as it were, are still relatively unknown?

Should there me more information on how illicit drugs affect pregnant woman and their developing children even if the facts are still unclear?

 

Addiction Documentaries - interesting or influencial?

Documentary and TV programmes that depict addicts suffering from a variety of addictions are aired regularly.  Some focus directly on one person's individual experience of an addiction, others take a wider view of health and social issues across a region or a nation.  The viewing ratings suggest that these programmes are popular, however, are the programmes simply interesting to the viewer or do they have a more influential impact?  Do you think that watching a documentary could (or does) prompt people to recognise the severity of their own problems - if there were more programmes made about seeking help would more addicts ask for it?  How do you think TV programme surrounding addiction impact on the population?

18.2% abv beer - helping or hindering the war on binge drinking?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/8170813.stm

The above links refers to 'Tokyo': a 18.2% abv, £9.99 bottle of beer recently launched by the Scottish brewery, BrewDog. BrewDog says launching such drinks will help to reduce binge drinking:

 

BrewDog founder James Watt said: "Mass-market, industrially-brewed lagers are so bland and tasteless that you are seduced into drinking a lot of them. "We've been challenging people to drink less alcohol, and educating the palates of drinkers with progressive craft-brewed beers which have an amazing depth of flavour, body and character. "The beers we make at BrewDog, including Tokyo*, are providing a cure to binge beer-drinking."

Whilst Alcohol Focus Scotland chief Executive Jack Law has warned that high alcohol percentage beer could cause as much damage as drinking more lower percentage beers:

 

"This company is completely deluded if they think that an 18.2% abv, (alcohol by volume), beer will help solve Scotland's alcohol problems," he said. "It is utterly irresponsible to bring out a beer which is so strong at a time when Scotland is facing unprecedented levels of alcohol-related health and social harm. "Just one bottle of this beer contains six units of alcohol - twice the recommended daily limit."

What do you think? Are drinks like 'Tokyo' adding to or solving a massive problem?

It is vitally important to take into consideration that whilst there are a number of people who can drink sensibly, there are also a large number of people in the UK who have alcohol addictions – an alcohol addiction is not defined by how much you drink or what you drink, but rather how your drinking impacts you life. Thus, one person could drink 3 cans of low percentage lager per night and experience problems attending work, maintaining relationships and develop health problems. Someone who drinks 3 large glasses of whiskey a night is no more of an alcoholic than the person who drinks lager because the abv % is higher in whisky – it all depends on how the alcohol affects your life. Which is why some people drink regularly and can stop and why others can't stop, but drink in physically and psychologically damaging binge cycles.

Liver failure at 22 years old - the tragic story and the wider implications

http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2009/jul/25/gary-reinbach-alcoholic-madeline-hanshaw

Above is a link to an article published in The Guardian over the weekend that writes about Gary Reinbach, a 22 year old who died from liver failure last week. The article discusses his mothers experience of her son's drinking and ultimately his death as well as more general issues, such as should an alcoholic be given a liver transplant if there is a chance they may start to drink again? Surely there is always a chance that an addict will return to drinking or using, but they deserve the opportunity to get into recovery and that requires specialist help.

“Gary Reinbach was denied a transplant because, under guidelines drawn up by the Liver Advisory Group, patients who are likely to return to a damaging pattern of alcohol consumption aren't deemed suitable candidates.”

As Gary's mother discusses and reject, the population have attributed a far proportion of blame to her for Gary's death, but it is also clear that if Gary was eligible for a transplant he may well still be alive, so who should decide if someone should or should not be given a second chance? A key point is that if more alcoholics were treated in suitable rehab clinics then there would not be so much demand for livers or indeed so many alcohol related deaths.

What is most shocking about this tragic story is that a man aged 22 years old could die from a condition that is widely associated with older people who have 40 years old alcohol abuse under their belts. Indeed, even Dr Nick Sheron, a liver specialist has been shocked by the number of liver failure cases he has seen in young people.

“What Luke and his mates have discovered the hard way is what liver specialists like Dr Nick Sheron, of Southampton General hospital, have been saying for some time: that young people who abuse alcohol heavily will suffer the same consequences that older people who've been abusing it for many years do; in other words, their livers will fail.

"I became a liver specialist 15 years ago, and I remember how shocked I was when I first saw a man of 23 with liver failure. But this year already I've seen five people with it in their early 20s. Gary isn't going to be the last death. We're going to see a lot more young people in this state over the next few years.

The lost of this young man's life not only highlights the severity of alcohol abuse, but also emphasises the need for people who are experiencing problems with alcohol to seek help no matter how old they are.

Rise in cocaine use = rise in heart problems

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/cocaine-britain-25-per-cent-rise-in-the-last-year-1759267.html

The above link refers to an article published in The Independent today that discussed the 25% rise in cocaine use that the UK has seen in the last year. The impact this is having is that addicts are getting younger and heart problems are increasing.

“According to the College of Emergency Medicine, the admission to hospital of young adults with heart problems caused by cocaine abuse has become almost routine since 2004.”

Aside from the odd newspaper article or television documentary there is not much public information advising about the significant risk of serious heart problems arising from a short time abusing cocaine. Do you think our young people are aware of what damage they are doing to themselves?

Why use a drug torch for something it is not designed for?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/health/newsid_10000000/newsid_10000400/10000473.stm

How are the police going to get drug related crime targeted effectively in the UK? Should everyone carrying drugs be arrested or should drugs be legalised and the devastating affects of addiction addressed more intensely?

One of the latest 'tools' to crack drug problems is the 'cocaine torch', a device that some police forces take onto the streets and shine up the noses of night time revellers in the hope of identifying traces of cocaine. The main problem with this approach is that it doesn't work:

“The company the torches are purchased from, JNE Marketing, only advertise the torches as suitable for testing crack cocaine residue and crack pipes.

It doesn't mention anything about street cocaine which people snort. The company said the cocaine needs to be at least 87% pure to fluoresce under UV light.

The highest level of cocaine purity you can get on the street is around 45%. It's not known why police from certain forces chose to use the torch on people's faces.”

Aside from the ineffectiveness of the torch when used in the capacity of nightclubbers snorting cocaine, is there a bigger problem? I.e. is it the people out on the town who should be targeted or the dealers bringing in tonnes of cocaine onto our streets every year? Obviously there needs to be proper consideration of both problems, however surely it is time that we grasped the concept that drug use does not equal drug abuse, but it is drug abuse that is the real problem?

Binge drinking UK Versus Wine cultured continent?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8157725.stm

The article above refers to the recent changes in alcohol consumption laws in Milan. Milan has always embraced wine as part of the local culture – children and young adults included. The easy going attitude of Italians to their younger population drinking is about to change, but these new laws have not been welcomed by all – especially not the bar tenders who feel they have effectively been asked to police Milan's young people.

“In a country where for centuries wine has been part of local culture – and prohibition would be unthinkable – the ban has come as a shock.”

But how will this change in policy impact on the children who it is designed to help? Children as young as 11 years old are experiencing alcohol related problems in Milan. The idea is that if alcohol is not so freely available that younger people will not develop so many problems, but what about the children who are already experiencing problems?

In a country like the UK, where alcohol has never been part of the growing up experience, at least not in local cultures across the board, we often discuss if relaxing the drinking laws so alcohol is not such a mystery until late teenage years would halt the binge drinking we see devastating teenage lives – do you think this would be the case or has culture just changed too much in recent years for relaxed drinking laws to work in any European country?

 

 

Plight of the Pensioners...

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/features/Plight-of-the-pensioners-who.5458745.jp

The above link refers to an article published in the Yorkshire Post: 'Plight of the Pensioners who are Driven to Drink in Retirement.' This article highlights two things: firstly, that our misconception that only young people abuse alcohol could not be further from the truth and secondly that there is no more readily available NHS help for older alcohol abusers than there is for young alcohol abusers.

When did we first decide to ignore the older generation of substance abusers and just concentrate on streets full of binge drinking teenagers? I'm not saying that young people dying before they are 25 due to drink related illnesses is not a huge problem, but what about those who are shut indoors, ordering alcohol with their weekly shopping, who are not exposed by the media, but need help nonetheless?

The implication is that it is not only drunk 20 year olds who are getting behind the wheel causing accidents or teenagers jamming up A&E departments, the figures in this article suggest that the older generations are contributing to these problems just as much as the younger generation. If you know someone who needs help don't hesitate to get in touch and find out what help is available – whilst government funded services may be scarce there is immediate help available, treatment might not be inexpensive, but it is life saving, no matter how old you are.

Addiction knows no boundaries, it does not discriminate, it is not dictated by age or race or class or sex – it ruins hundreds of thousands of lives – people from all different walks of life.

 

Peer Pressure - teenage to professional...

'Peer pressure' is a term we are all familiar with – especially when it comes to teenage drinking, but does this pressure subside as we grow older? Or do your fellow teenagers urging you to 'down it!' just grow older with you and change their phrasing to 'just one more round eh?'. Social and professional situations can place an enormous amount of pressure on people to consume alcohol. Work functions, staff parties, weddings, birthdays and any social occasion usually involves alcohol, and whether you want to just have a soft drink or miss out on a round, it is not always easy to deal with the pressure to drink.

So, what is the answer? Some people say 'just say no, you're an adult, be responsible'. Others say their jobs would be in jeopardy if they didn't have a drink with the boss. What's your opinion?

Booze and bicycles - better than drink driving?

What do you think about drinking and getting on your bicycle? Is it any safer than drinking and getting in your car or do you consider the risks so different that there is no comparison? Get in the car after 4 pints and the best case scenario is that you lose your licence, worse case you take a life and potentially lose yours. But is riding a bicycle when you have been drinking really that different from drink driving? Ok, so the fact is that a bicycle is unlikely to run a car off the road (unless it swerves to miss a wobbling bicycle?), but that doesn't mean that people won't get hurt. In the US it is illegal to ride a bicycle under the influence in practically every state, in the UK it is an offence to ride a bike on a road or a public place whilst unfit through using drink and drugs, but the police have no powers to breathalyse you or take a sample for testing, thus proving that someone is unfit to ride a bicycle is not easy. If you are deemed to be unfit to ride you face a £1000 fine, whilst this is a deterrent it would appear that most people feel that riding a bicycle home from the pub is responsible in comparison to getting behind the wheel of a car...what do you think?

Mind altering drugs and studying?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/mindenhancing-drugs-are-they-a-nobrainer-1708988.html

The link above directs you to an article published by the Independent that addresses the issue of mind altering drugs and their place in academia. Whilst the article discusses various drugs that are now becoming popular amongst students, all of which are used widely in other areas (for example Ritalin, used to treat children with ADHD) the main gist revolves around a highly debated suggestion from John Harris, director of the Institute for Science, Ethics and Innovation at the University of Manchester, and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Medical Ethics. The distinguished Professor of Bioethics says it is time to embrace the possibilities of 'brain boosters' and chemical cognitive enhancement.

Do you think it is fair that healthy students take mind enhancing drugs to concentrate harder in exams? If yes, then who should the drugs be made available to? And if no, then what's the difference between taking performance enhancing drugs in the context of studying and getting extra help in the form of tuition?

Regardless of the answer to the above questions, is it too late anyway as all these drugs are easily accessible on the Internet and it would seem that at least some of the world wide population of students have been embracing the concept of mind enhancing drugs for years...

 

 

Starting to drink at 10 years old and all we do is print pictures in the paper?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/jun/17/young-people-alcohol

Above is a link to an article published in The Guardian that explores young people's perspectives of teenage drinking – if it's going to be talked about so much in the media then we might as well know what the actual people the media is discussing think about their national portrait 'as a bunch of booze-addled louts'?

The key points raised by the group of 17 young people that were invited to share their opinions by The Guardian and Drinkaware at a youth roundtable, included:

• Young participants thought the media portrayal of young people and alcohol was exaggerated. Nevertheless, many worried about friends, and how much some of them were drinking.

• They copied their parents, who also sometimes used alcohol to cope with the stresses of life.

• One participant thought that the taboo nature of alcohol made it particularly attractive. Others cited doing what other people did, a desire to have fun, relax and combat boredom.

• Many participants had their first drink at 13 or 14; a few were younger. One participant blamed the variety of alcoholic drinks on offer.

• A survey conducted by Drinkaware showed that people in general were starting to drink alcohol at a younger age.

• When shown tabloid press cuttings about young people and alcohol, several participants - but not all - felt the coverage was skewed against them.

• Several participants felt the media encouraged young people to drink.

• All thought schools needed to offer improved education concerning alcohol. It was felt they should offer advice about drinking sensibly, rather than prohibition. · Some thought that peer education worked well; others that young people needed to learn from their own mistakes.

However, perhaps the most salient thing about the opinions of these young people, is the fact that they have all had vastly different experiences of alcohol consumption and hold varied opinions on what would work to improve the stigma of teenage drinking, and moreover and how new schemes to reduce alcohol related problems in our youth population could be implemented. This emphasises the need for a more modern strategy to deal with teenage drinking – as the policeman quoted by Jack, one of the young people involved in the debate stated, 'We know you are going to drink and take drugs but do it somewhere quiet, do it nicely. If you do get drunk, call us. We will help'.

We can't ignore the fact that our young people are started to drink earlier and earlier and that more than just a pint is consumed, but we can start to do is face facts and talk honestly to work out what help young people need – whatever it is, it certainly isn't more stereotypes.

 

Close our only unique specialist young persons unit? = madness

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/jun/15/health-drugs

The above links refers to an article published in The Guardian that discusses the potential closure of Middlegate – Britain's only specialist residential drug and alcohol unit for young people. Whilst the article makes points about the development of new and alternative services to units like Middlegate, it remains a travesty to our society that our only facility geared up solely to deal with severe substance abuse problems in our young population is facing closure – and why? It seems to come down to finances. Treatment is not inexpensive, but it is life saving and whilst intense residential treatment is not needed by everyone, we are kidding ourselves if we think that losing a specialist facility like Middlegate is anything but a crying shame. We need to wake up and stop ignoring the fact that children as young as 11 and 12 are using hard drugs – having a place for young people to get the help they really need, and not just a few counselling sessions a month, is vital for the recovery of many young people; what we need is more places like Middlegate, not to rid our country of the only unit of it's kind.

'Nice people take drugs' campaign - to the point or missing it?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/jun/09/nice-people-drugs-ads-pulled

The link above refers to an article published in The Guardian today about the human rights charity Release latest drug campaign and the governments instructions to remove their bus posters that use the strapline 'Nice People Take Drugs'. The chief executive of Release has accused the advertising regulators of censorship and politicians of being frightened to have an open debate about drug use in the UK.

Saville, the chief executive of Release, said getting their message across was vital to constructive debate. "I believe that the time has come where potential leaders of our country have much to gain from real honesty about drug use in the UK, including their own drug use," he added. "The intellectual debate on drug control has been won and we must stop allowing politicians to adopt fundamentalist and unscientific policies solely out of fear of upsetting a handful of moral crusaders."

What do you think about the campaign and the poster that are at the centre of an on going debate about how drug use should be addressed? Moreover, if you think the strapline should be changed, what should it be changed to?

 

Shift in drug habits...

This week sees Radio 1 launch Drug Week – offering an accessible and informative debate about drug use in the UK. The link below refers to a Newsbeat page discussing the shift in young people's drug habits. Whilst the article advises that there has been a drop in the use of hard drugs (i.e. heroin and crack) and that more young people than ever are getting addiction treatment, it also emphasises that party drugs (i.e. cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis) are getting stronger and taking them is increasing risky, especially when mixing multiple drugs together. This implies that whilst one problem is decreasing a bigger one is increasing.

 “Alcohol is cheaper and more available, cannabis is far stronger, cocaine is half the price it used to be and you can get half a dozen ecstasy tablets for £10," according to Howard Parker, Professor Emeritus at Manchester University, who coined the term 'ACCE' last year.

Not to mention the fact that alcohol abuse is at record levels across the population and that the statistics publish recently quite possibly do not include thousands of young people who abuse legal prescription drugs, albeit attained by illegal means.

The facts are that drug use in this county, whether legal or illegal, is a big problem and we need a new approach to support our young people – 'just saying no' is no longer a valid preventative measure. It seems that taking drugs is part of the teenage culture and we need more understanding if we are going to nurture our young people to make more informed decisions about what drugs they use and how they use them.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/the_p_word/newsid_8084000/8084968.stm

Second chance after conviction?

Second chance after a conviction? Read on...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/08/jonathan-aitken-offenders-rehabilitate

This is an extremely interesting article written by the Guardian's Jonathan Aitken, it demonstrates his insights in to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act. Should all convictions eventually be spent?

Drugs and Rugby

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/club/5431474/Rugby-must-address-drugs-problems.html

The article above refers to the steadily increasing number of random drug tests conducted in British rugby that are coming back positive – and not just steroids or performance enhancing drugs, but the same drugs you would expect to find in a club or bar anywhere in the UK. Long has it been considered that sports like rugby only include one drug, alcohol, however, this is changing. As the article suggests, why would rugby players be exempt from using recreational drugs?

Babies in withdrawal

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/one-in-500-babies-now-born-drug-dependent-1693502.html

This article in The Independent highlights the increasing problem of babies born suffering withdrawal due to their mothers drug use. This problem is getting bigger and bigger whilst government funded initiatives to tackle the problems are getting smaller. More and more specialist units are closing, leaving the few experienced drug and alcohol midwives to deal with unacceptable work loads. The figures in this article are likely to be underestimating the number of mothers to be experiencing drug and alcohol related pregnancy problems and something has to change.

If you are experiencing addiction problems and need some support there are a variety of private clinics who can help – get in touch.

Help for work related alcohol abuse?

With more and more workers relying on alcohol to wind down after work the situation regarding alcohol misuse management needs, more than ever, to be addressed. Pressures to drink in particular industries, work parties and general stress which employees deal with by drinking is increasing. However, this increase in work stress related alcohol consumption doesn't appear to be matched by an increase in resources to cope with the problems. If you have a problem with alcohol how comfortable do you feel going to your manager to discuss getting help? Is there a clearly set out policy in your work environment that is there to help you? Or, is it more likely that the last person you would confide in is your boss through fear of being found out or fired? There is help out there, but accessing through work is not as simply as it should be.

http://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/pm/articles/2009/05/employees-turn-to-alcohol-to-relieve-stress.htm

 

Who should pay for emergency treatment?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/5368034/Drunks-should-pay-for-emergency-treatment-think-tank-says.html

As this article in the Telegraph highlights, there is an ongoing debate about who should be paying for emergency treatment?  If you end up in A&E after drinking heavily should the person or the NHS pick up the tab?...and how can we actually work out who ended up in hospital due to their own actions versus the actions of others?...who is responsible?  The article goes on to consider if a alcohol price rise will have an impact on the number of A&E admissions we are seeing, what do you think?

12 months history from 1 strand of hair...

New technology has now developed the ability to conduct in-depth analysis of alcohol consumption. Drug testing on 1 strand of hair can now determine whether an individual has has a long-term alcohol dependency and can provide a history of up to 12 months.  Drug testing is used by the NHS, courts, Local Authorities and solicitors in many different cases, this new technology can now give a new dimension to traditional drug testing which has only been able to provide an insight into drugs/alcohol used within a 4 week period.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/business/businesstruth/5351561/Drug-testing-Trimega-Laboratories-find-gold-in-hair.html

Alcohol ban in sports?

Tottenham Manager Harry Redknapp has stated that he would like to implement an alcohol ban in his football team.  This statement was made following the arrest one of his key players outside a nightclub after an alleged assault (reportedly involving alcohol), however it should not detract from the main emphasis of the article:

"Footballers should not drink. You shouldn't put diesel in a Ferrari. I know it's hard but they are earning big money, they are role models to kids."

Effectively, 1) health should come before drinking and 2) what sort of role models are sports personalities when alcohol fuelled scandal is always in the headlines?

What do you think - are alcohol bans in sport needed and if so where is the line between Harry Redknapp's opinion and the fact that after every Formula 1 race the winners shower each other with champagne?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/t/tottenham_hotspur/8045213.stm

World cocaine market - what is the true cost?

How do you measure cocaine?  Is it in sterling or in Euros? Weight or purity? The number of dealers selling it or the number of consumers using it? Or do you measure it by how many people are falling victim to the cutting agents that are used with it?  As recent police seizure figures suggest, it is estimated that only 9% of the cocaine currently being distributed in the UK is pure, the remaining 91% is made up from all kinds of chemicals - none of which are known for safe human consumption.

As purity levels decrease, street prices remains steady - the demand is intense and the risks significant.  Will this have an impact on how cocaine is used in the UK?

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8044275.stm

Herbal Highs - how safe are they really?

As this article in The Observer (link below) recognises, it is likely that the average consumer knows very little about what substances constitute a 'legal' herbal high, which are easily available on many high streets. Once considered to be caffeine fuelled alternative to ecstasy and cocaine the shops which sell paraphernalia related to drug use now stock 'herbal highs' that contain relatively untested substances, included drugs like benzylpiperazine (BZP).

"BZP has never been tested or marketed as a pharmaceutical, so its health consequences were unknown" and therefore the risks were also unknown, but this fact didn't stop this drug from being sold all over the world - mostly under the guise that it is safer than the illegal alternatives, but is it?  The EU is now working to establish legislation to protect users from the harmful side effects associated with this specific drug, but how many more unknown and potentially dangerous 'herbal highs' are out there and what do you think should be done about the legal sale of such products?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/apr/26/drugs-legal-substances-risks