Category: Featured posts

COVID-19

Featured posts

Research

28/05/2020 (09/06/2020)

How is the COVID-19 pandemic changing our use of illegal drugs? An overview of ongoing research.

Dr Will Lawn and Martine Skumlien The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have substantially affected our use of legal and illegal drugs. In the UK, we have adapted to the closure of pubs and restaurants by purchasing considerably more alcohol in supermarkets and off-licences[i], while hundreds of thousands of people have given up smoking cigarettes[ii].

Featured posts

Research

Treatment & therapies

27/05/2020 (27/05/2020)

Using mobile telephones to deliver Contingency Management interventions

By Carol-Ann Getty   What is Contingency Management? Contingency management (CM) has a long history of application in both basic and clinical research and a strong theoretical background in behavioural sciences and operant conditioning. CM interventions involve the systematic application of positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement is a form of operant conditioning which ‘reinforces’ desirable behaviours

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Links

News

Policy

Treatment & therapies

07/05/2020 (13/05/2020)

COVID-19 and addiction: webinars, podcasts and online discussions

In these unprecedented times there is a need to learn about the emerging evidence on COVID-19. Listed below are upcoming and recorded webinars, podcasts, and discussions on COVID-19 from organisations working in the addictions sector.   United Kingdom COVID-19: Best practice for managing drug and alcohol problems – a joint RCGP and SMMGP webinar will

Blog

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News

Policy

06/05/2020 (07/05/2020)

COVID-19 addiction news: global responses to lock-down

In the last month, there has been a huge increase in COVID-19 related addiction news. Although the current situation is unprecedented, many of the policy responses have well-established precedents including forms of prohibition, regulation and outreach treatment. Perhaps the most common policy option has been to ban substances, particularly alcohol.   Alcohol Several countries have

Alcohol

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Interview

Research

28/04/2020 (20/05/2020)

COVID-19, alcohol and domestic abuse: Sarah Fox talks to the SSA

Why have we seen an increase in alcohol use and domestic abuse during COVID-19 restrictions? I think it’s important to state that alcohol does not cause domestic abuse, the perpetrator causes abuse. Alcohol we know, can increase the severity and frequency of physical and sexual abuse, however, usually, other forms of abuse are already present

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News

Treatment & therapies

09/04/2020 (30/04/2020)

COVID-19 and addiction treatment delivery: Oliver Standing of Collective Voice talks to the SSA

SSA: How has the addiction treatment sector responded to COVID-19? OS: “The response in the field has been absolutely fantastic. We’ve seen a truly unprecedented level of collaboration, with things happening in days that that would normally take months. We’ve seen voluntary sector and NHS providers working together really well but also in close partnership

Alcohol

Featured posts

News

26/03/2020 (27/03/2020)

COVID-19 and alcohol: an enduring effect on home drinking habits?

James Morris Among the spate of articles offering well-being advice following the COVID-19 ‘Corona virus’ outbreak, many include calls for people to avoid self-medicating with drugs or alcohol. However, as images of supermarket alcohol shelves stripped bare circulate and multiple online alcohol retailers report long backlogs, it seems many people are seeking alcohol as a

Drugs

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News

Policy

17/03/2020 (27/03/2020)

Coronavirus and heroin supplies, what are the implications? Dr Owen Bowden-Jones talks to the SSA

How do you think COVID-19 (coronavirus) might affect people who use drugs?  “We have a rapidly developing situation regarding the impact of coronavirus on health services, but it is worth taking a moment to consider the impact on UK illicit drug markets. As governments begin to close borders and reduce the movement of people, how