Drug deaths in Scotland: hope on the horizon?

Harm reduction interventions need to be widely available, accessible, delivered efficiently and proactively and evaluated and improved. Harm reduction services also need to have porous borders with treatment and recovery services and have hope embedded in the form of peers in recovery working within teams. A recovery-oriented system of care sees interventions not in silos, but in a continuum with the individual’s needs at the centre and the person on a journey. The person's goals, not the professional's goals (which can be at odds) should be paramount.

Drug deaths in Scotland: hope on the horizon?

This week in Scotland we’ve been reeling from the impact of the publication of the 2019 drug-related death statistics. The awful graphs are everywhere, their bright colours standing in sharp contrast to the horror they relate. Our feelings clamour for attention, a powerful mixture of anger, grief, bewilderment and shame.  The newspapers are full of … Continue reading Drug deaths in Scotland: hope on the horizon?

Residential rehabilitation in Scotland: what’s going on?

For a significant number of people in recovery, rehab has been part of their journey, yet the truth is that we know very little about residential rehabilitation in Scotland.  In the summer of 2020, the Scottish Government public health minister, Joe Fitzpatrick, set up a working group to explore the subject. I was asked to … Continue reading Residential rehabilitation in Scotland: what’s going on?

Personal Failure or System Failure?

Bill White explaining why inadequate treatment may be worse than no treatment: What we know from primary medicine is that ineffective treatments (via placebo effects) or an inadequate dose of a potentially effective treatment (e.g., as in antibiotic treatment of bacterial infections) may temporarily suppress symptoms.  Such treatments create the illusion of resumed health, but … Continue reading Personal Failure or System Failure?

Hazelden and Betty Ford have merged

From USA Today: The Betty Ford Center and the Hazelden Foundation have formally merged to become the nation's largest nonprofit addiction treatment provider. ... Officials have openly discussed their struggle to compete with a boom in boutique centers, whose spa-like programs also treat gambling and sex addictions. Instead of a waiting list at the Betty Ford Center, … Continue reading Hazelden and Betty Ford have merged