A new book examined the addictions recovery movement, and the emerging evidence base connected with it.
Source: Jeffrey Roth and David Best (eds), Addiction and Recovery in the UK, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Nov
A report examined drug- and alcohol-related stigma through the eyes of family members, including parents, partners, children, and siblings.
Source: Challenging Stigma: Tackling the prejudice experienced by the families of drug and alcohol users, Adfam
Links: Report | Adfam press release
Date: 2012-Nov
A report provided an overview of the programmes, laws, and policies in place in Europe to assist pregnant drug users, drug-using parents, and their children. Although an array of responses existed, there was still room for improvement.
Source: Pregnancy, Childcare and the Family: Key issues for Europe's response to drugs, European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction
Links: Report | EMCDDA press release
Date: 2012-Oct
A report examined successful interventions for drug users that addressed the issues of housing, education, vocational training, and employment. It also provides a set of conclusions targeted at policymakers and drug practitioners, in order to help them develop coherent and comprehensive social integration strategies.
Source: Harry Sumnall and Angelina Brotherhood, Social Reintegration and Employment: Evidence and interventions for drug users in treatment, European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction
Links: Report | EMCDDA press release
Date: 2012-Oct
A report examined the role of housing and related support in supporting the recovery of problem drug users.
Source: The Role of Housing in Drugs Recovery, Chartered Institute of Housing
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Sep
A report said that existing drug treatment provision prevented 4.9 million crimes in England per year – with an estimated saving to society of £960 million in costs to the public, business, the criminal justice system, and the National Health Service.
Source: Estimating the Crime Reduction Benefits of Drug Treatment and Recovery, National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse
Links: Report | NTA press release
Date: 2012-May
A think-tank report said that policy interventions on drugs often seemed to be defined more by political positioning, and a desire to stamp something distinctive on to the criminal justice system, than to build on and improve policies that had already had some success. The evidence did not fall on the side of one particular treatment, but rather suggested that a diverse range of quality treatments was necessary. The report suggested some ways in which marginal improvements could be made in drug rehabilitation. Although the chances of revolutionary improvements were unlikely to materialize in the near future, a careful approach to reform might be able to prevent more crime, as well as save and improve more lives.
Source: Nick Cowen, Rehabilitating Drug Policy: What can we do better to reduce offending by drug addicts?, Civitas
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Apr
A study compared the differences in the conviction rates of known offenders during the two years before their initial assessment for drug treatment and the two years after. Those retained in treatment for the entire two-year period showed an average 47 per cent reduction in convictions.
Source: The Impact of Drug Treatment on Reconviction, National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse
Links: Report | NTA press release
Date: 2012-Mar
A report said that the government needed to harness family-based treatments in order to tackle inter-generational substance misuse.
Source: Sophie Kydd and Natalie Roe, A Better Future for Families: The importance of family-based interventions in tackling substance misuse, Addaction
Links: Report | Addaction press release
Date: 2012-Mar
A paper called for a greater degree of integration between services designed to support people with a 'dual diagnosis' of mental illness and drug and alcohol problems.
Source: Dual Diagnosis: A challenge for the reformed NHS and for Public Health England, Centre for Mental Health/DrugScope/UK Drug Policy Commission
Links: Paper | CMH press release
Date: 2012-Mar
A report summarized the key findings and implications of a study that investigated the extent and nature of support provided to adult family members affected by a relative s drug problems.
Source: Alex Copello and Lorna Templeton, The Forgotten Carers: Support for adult family members affected by a relative s drug problems, UK Drug Policy Commission
Links: Report | Background paper (1) | Background paper (2) | Background paper (3) | Guardian report
Date: 2012-Mar
An article said that although contemporary drug policy was still underpinned by the notion of a 'drugs-crime nexus' the suggested means by which crime rates were to be reduced was gradually shifting. Since 2008, there had been an increased use of conditionality in the benefits system, coupled with an overt desire to 'nudge' those engaging in risky behaviours to amend their ways – either towards 'abstinence' or 'recovery'. Such developments were part of a creeping 'moralization' in social policy.
Source: Mark Monaghan, 'The recent evolution of UK drug strategies: from maintenance to behaviour change?', People, Place & Policy, Volume 6 Issue 1
Links: Article
Date: 2012-Mar