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Alcohol and Drugs Resource Centre

Alcohol and Drugs Resource Centre				Alcohol misuse Much of the literature looking at trends in drinking has shown that the consumption of alcohol is increasing, particularly in women and young men. Many patients needing treatment for alcohol abuse can be managed in primary care with the support of an experienced specialist nurse who can help people stay alcohol-free, or refer them on to appropriate services. Drug misuse Each year in England and Wales, an estimated 2,000 deaths are caused by illegal drug abuse. The Department of Health estimates that, in England, 90% of all cases of hepatitis C and 6% of all HIV cases are caused by injecting drugs. Frontline clinical staff need to be skilled and confident in assessing and managing misuse, develop dedicated services for dual diagnosis and establish close links with addiction teams. Useful links Alcohol Concern Addaction Alcohol Focus Scotland Addiction NI Health professionals NICE Guidance: Alcohol dependence and harmful alcohol use NICE Guidance: Drug misuse: psychosocial interventions NHS Information Centre: Drug Misuse DrugsAlcohol.info Communicate with patients DrinkAware Alcoholics Anonymous Drink Smarter Scotland Sign up to receive the very latest on alcohol and drugs Name: Email address:
The Nursing in Practice Alcohol and Drugs Resource Centre brings together the latest developments and clinical articles relating to substance misuse to help you understand why patients abuse alcohol and drugs and the best methods of treatment. Drinking in moderation can be part of a healthy lifestyle; but more than one in four people in the UK exceed the healthy limit every week, and the problem is associated with various health risks, including cancer and liver disease. In addition, the use of drugs such as tobacco, cannabis or heroin can become uncontrolled, leading to serious physical and mental problems.
Latest alcohol and drugs news Legality issues 'will not derail' min alcohol pricing Thursday 1 March 2012 The Scottish Government is committed to “pushing” its Alcohol Minimum Pricing Bill through Parliament regardless of the legality issues around EU trade laws, it is claimed NHS will face sixty-days of NYE parties during Olympics Friday 24 February 2012 Nurses will have to prepare themselves for sixty days worth of New Year’s Eve parties throughout the Olympic and Paralympic games Alcohol film images link to teen binge drinking Tuesday 21 February 2012 Film-makers are being urged to restrict images of alcohol in the same vein as tobacco products to stop young teens from binge drinking Cannabis use doubles risk of car crash Friday 10 February 2012 Drivers under the influence of cannabis are twice as likely to be involved in a car crash		Latest alcohol and drugs clinical articles Tackling alcohol misuse in children Thursday 6 October 2011 Primary healthcare professionals are being warned not to succumb to negative attitudes and dismiss alcohol and drug abuse among children as antisocial behaviour Detoxing drinkers in a methadone prescribing service Tuesday 29 March 2011 This article examines how patients with drug and alcohol problems can reduce their drinking, with a guide to medication in line with the author’s experiences at a treatment centre in North London Involvement of family members in addiction care Friday 24 July 2009 The Kent and Medway Community Alcohol Service won the Nursing in Practice Mental Health Award in 2008. This article describes the team’s efforts to involve family members in the alcohol treatment process; an initiative which proved to be effective in improving clinical outcome and sustained behaviour change Treatment for alcohol misuse in primary care Wednesday 21 January 2009 Many patients needing treatment for alcohol abuse can be managed in primary care with the support of an experienced specialist nurse. This article presents a case study illustrating the importance of the nurse’s role in improving patient care and supporting the GP in providing a detox service
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