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November 2008

November 30, 2008: TIER-4 CAPITAL INVESTMENT PROGRAMME
Comments: 0 | Categories: Funding opportunities , News , Policies, legislation
Click here for related blog. “Abstinence-based drug treatment will grow by more than 2,000 places a year following over £54 million of government capital funding,” stated a press release issued by the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse on 26...

November 30, 2008: Q: WHEN IS £54MILLION NOT £54MILLION?
Comments: 3 | Categories: Funding opportunities , News , Policies, legislation
A: When the NTA recycles a two-year old press release with an unusual juxtaposition of words and figure. Read related blog here. “Abstinence-based drug treatment will grow by more than 2,000 places a year following over £54 million of government...

November 21, 2008: TREATMENT EFFECTIVENESS:
Comments: 1 | Categories: Policies, legislation , Therapeutic Techniques
NATIONAL TREATMENT AGENCY REVIEW The National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse released its Review of the effectiveness of treatment for alcohol problems. It is mostly excellent and a great reference tool – but some conclusions have led to a judicial...

November 17, 2008: REHABS WORK: RESEARCH ON SUCCESS
Comments: 12 | Categories: Research , Therapeutic Techniques
Peter McDermott, a Board member of the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse, stated in The Observer national newspaper [16 November] that "Residential rehab doesn't actually work very well" alongside other negative comments. After Addiction Today complained to the NTA...

November 17, 2008: HELP PILOT SYSTEM-CHANGE
Comments: 0 | Categories: Funding opportunities , News , Partnerships , Policies, legislation
DEADLINE 11 DECEMBER 2008 One of the aims of the Drug Strategy, Drugs: protecting families and communities (2008), is to deliver new approaches to drug treatment and social reintegration. “One of the key actions is to develop pilots to test...

November 17, 2008: DRUGS UNCOVERED
Comments: 0 | Categories: News , Policies, legislation , Research
ASPECIAL REPORT BY THE OBSERVER Click here for an indepth report by the Sunday newspaper on drug attitudes and much more.

November 17, 2008: IS METHADONE THE ANSWER?
Comments: 2 | Categories: News , Policies, legislation
OR DOES METHADONE STOP ADDICTS FROM TACKLING THE CAUSES OF DEPENDENCY? “Experts and users are divided about the merits of this 'maintenance' approach compared to the more robust alternative of rehab. Elizabeth Day listens to arguments from both sides,” stated...

November 16, 2008: URGENT ACTION NEEDED OVER “ESCALATING” USE OF METHADONE
Comments: 0 | Categories: News
Scotland is "over-dependent" on methadone, stated Conservative leader Annabel Goldie. She has written to first minister Alex Salmond claiming annual costs had risen 19% to £25.7million in recent figures. Goldie welcomed the government's national drug strategy, which recognises recovery and...

November 14, 2008: LDAN AND DRUGSCOPE TO MERGE?
Comments: 1 | Categories: News
The board of the London Drug & Alcohol Network has invited its members' views on a proposed merger with DrugScope. The move was triggered by the fact that, from February 2009, LDAN will no longer be core-funded by London councils...

November 13, 2008: "AN OPEN LETTER TO THE ACMD ABOUT ECSTASY"
Comments: 9 | Categories: News , Policies, legislation , Research
BY PROFESSOR ANDREW PARROTT The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs has been devoting time to reclassifying ecstasy downwards, even though not requested by government to do so. Deirdre Boyd recalls parliament’s criticism of the ACMD here. Read Professor...

November 12, 2008: ACMD: ACRONYM OR ANACHRONISM?
Comments: 18 | Categories: News , Policies, legislation , Research
After the debacle and harm stemming from its recommendation to downgrade the classification of cannabis, the ACMD now wants to downgrade a drug which can be 10 times more powerful than cocaine. It is an opportune time to recall the...

November 4, 2008: ADDICTION TODAY LOGO HONOURED
Comments: 0 | Categories: News
The flame/chromosone logo for the Addiction Recovery Foundation was singled out from over 5,000 international entries for an Honourable Mention in the Marcom Awards 2008. The awards honour "outstanding creative achievement". The logo was designed pro bono by David Barthwell....

November 3, 2008: NATIONAL AUDIT OFFICE: ALCOHOL
Comments: 0 | Categories: News , Policies, legislation , Research
The National Audit Office has published a report on Reducing Alcohol Harm: health services in England for alcohol misuse. The report found that a quarter of Primary Care Trusts had not accurately assessed the alcohol problems in their area and...

November 2, 2008: THE NTA: UNZIPPING TREATMENT FACTS
Comments: 7 | Categories: News , Policies, legislation
A dozen rehabs in the UK have closed and others made counsellors redundant. Most depend on the state for clients – but it refers only 2% of drug abusers to drug-free treatment, creating a crisis of empty beds and waiting...