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How often do we worry about trying to keep up with every new danger drug to hit the headlines? The age of fast
news has us googling at every tweet and risking missing far more important elements of the job. In this month’s
cover story, Kevin Flemen offers a reassuring guide to staying ahead of novel psychoactive compounds, using
existing skills to respond calmly and effectively.
There’s a varied alcohol theme running through this issue, as minimum pricing arguments continue to rage.
Alcohol Concern’s conference tackled parental alcohol misuse (page 6), Adfam look at why families often struggle
for so long without seeking help (page 14) and Joss Smith asks what we can do to make support groups more
relevant to men (page 13). In this month’s Soapbox (page 21), Andy Stonard waves a burning torch at our
hypocritical attitude to booze.
Adding our voice to the
Support. Don’t punish
campaign (page 20) was a no-brainer. The global campaign,
endorsed by many high-profile figures, aims to highlight the harms caused by criminalising and stigmatising
people who use drugs, and show humane policy alternatives. Visit the website – www.supportdontpunish.org –
to add your support and reinforce the message that stigma and repression should never be tolerated.
FEATURES
6
NEWS FOCUS
How can workers be best equipped to identify and address parental alcohol misuse?
DDN reports from Alcohol Concern’s recent conference.
8
PSYCHOACTIVE CHALLENGE
– COVER STORY
Knowing enough about each novel psychoactive compound that emerges in time to help
clients can feel like an impossible task. Kevin Flemen gives a pragmatic approach.
14 STAYING SILENT
Adfam share new research that reveals why families often struggle for a long time
before seeking help with a problem drinker.
15 KEEPING IT REAL
Aquarius’s Lucy Seymour-Smith shares her first impressions of their service user conference.
16 STAYING AHEAD OF THE INSPECTOR
Be prepared for the upcoming changes in CQC inspections, says David Finney.
18 NEW DIRECTIONS
David Gilliver talks to International Drug Policy Consortium executive director Ann Fordham
about raising awareness and the changing course of the global drug policy debate.
20 SPREAD THE WORD: SUPPORT, DON’T PUNISH
It’s time for a new approach to drug policy, writes Jamie Bridge.
REGULARS
4
NEWS ROUND-UP
: Alcohol minimum unit pricing still on the cards • Three quarters of Scots drugs
death victims ‘not on prescription’ • Brighton considers ‘consumption rooms’ • Vulnerable young choose
high profile brands • News in brief.
10 LETTERS:
Utopian views; Electro revolution; Close to home.
11 MEDIA SAVVY:
Who’s been saying what..?
11 POLICY SCOPE
:
What will happen when drug and alcohol services are at the mercy of local
decision-makers, asks Marcus Roberts.
13 NOTHING TO DECLARE
:
In this third instalment, Mark Dempster tries his luck with smuggling hash.
13 FAMILY MATTERS
:
How can we encourage men to access support groups, asks Joss Smith.
17 VOICES OF RECOVERY:
Are we ready to embrace truly service user led services, asks Alistair Sinclair.
21 SOAPBOX
: The drink debate has become stuck on quantity. Why can’t we acknowledge that booze
is a part of our lives and have an intelligent discussion about harm reduction, asks Andy Stonard.
THROUGHOUT THE MAGAZINE: COURSES, CONFERENCES AND TENDERS
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May 2013 |
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The right support
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