Women and girls who inject drugs are more likely than their male counterparts to acquire HIV. In addition to criminalization, punitive laws, and social stigma that puts all injecting drug users at increased risk, women are made even more vulnerable by social, economic, and culturally embedded power imbalances (JAIDS)
Bibliography: Interventions – Treatment
National Forum on Drug-related Deaths Scotland
This report reviews the impact of the Forum during 2014 and looks ahead by setting out recommendations that seek to reduce the numbers at risk (SFAD)
A successful approach to tackling drug-related crime
This research and policy briefing reminds us of a few key findings from RAPt’s research and experience (RAPT)
Substance misuse and mental health in prison
This research and policy briefing describes the worrying extent of mental health problems amongst prisoners, and the close correlation between mental health conditions such as depression and post traumatic stress disorders, and substance misuse (RAPT)
National Treatment Indicators Report
This fourth NTI report provides 2012–2013 fiscal-year data from six provinces, one territory and one provincial association and has expanded its scope to include information on the primary substance for which treatment was sought. The report also includes information on the total number of hospital stays related to substance use disorders and their associated costs. (CCSA)
The Australian life in recovery survey
A total of 573 forms were completed and entered directly online or subsequently entered by the research team at Turning Point (Turning Point,)
Emergency department treatment for opioid addiction better than referrals
The first known randomized trial comparing three treatment strategies for opioid-dependent patients receiving emergency care has been conducted by researchers who found that patients given the medication buprenorphine were more likely to engage in addiction treatment and reduce their illicit opioid use (Science Daily)
Effectiveness of Computer-Assisted Therapy for Substance Dependence Using Breaking Free Online
Subgroup Analyses of a Heterogeneous Sample of Service Users (JMIR)
Alcohol and other drug treatment services (AODTS)
Following are highlights from the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services National Minimum Data Set (AODTS NMDS). Further information will be released in June 2015 (AIHW)
National opioid pharmacotherapy statistics (NOPSAD)
Highlights from the NOPSAD collection (AIHW)
Owen Bowden-Jones: New drugs, new harms, new clinical guidance
The past five years has seen an unprecedented increase in the number of these psychoactive drugs (BMJ)
An Innovative Drug Policy That Works
The program, launched in 2011 as the first of its kind in the country, allows law enforcement officers to direct people charged with low-level drug or sex work offenses into community-based services instead of prosecution and jail (Open Society Foundations)
Advances in Dual Diagnosis
When 80 per cent of your clients have a dual diagnosis, asking whether the service needs a dual diagnosis worker is getting things the wrong way around (Advances in Dual Diagnosis)
Understanding the health and service needs of diverse populations of pharmaceutical opioid users
Cohort studies of dependent users in treatment, and people who inject drugs (NDARC)
Drug users should be able to get heroin from the health system
Politicians may not like it, but evidence shows that giving heroin to some users reduces harm, argues Martin T Schechter (BMJ)
Advocating for treatment and recovery at the strategic level
Lessons from a roundtable of commissioners (DrugScope)
Mental health and substance misuse
This briefing describes several aims (DrugScope)
Protecting the human rights of people who use psychedelics
Prohibition had negative outcomes for the millions of individuals who find it worthwhile to use psychedelics in various cultural settings outside of those in the clinic (Lancet)
Building Assets for Recovery
This is the second in a series of briefing papers by DrugScope on behalf of the Recovery Partnership which examine some of the broader issues around recovery from substance misuse problems. The briefing has a regional focus on South East England (DrugScope)
Public Health England invests £10million in drug and alcohol recovery services
Public Health England (PHE) has announced the successful applicants for £10 million of capital funding for services that are helping people in England with drug or alcohol problems to recover from their addiction. Over 50 projects across England, in partnership with local authorities, will receive grants from PHE