Printed from: https://www.cmf.org.uk/advocacy/clinical-practice/addiction/?index=10
Millions of us enjoy drinking alcohol with few, if any, ill effects. (Tony Blair, 2004) So begins the Prime Minister’s introduction to the Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England (AHRSE).[1] After reminding us that moderate drinking can produce some health benefits, Mr Blair laments the fact that ‘alcohol misuse by...
'Yes!' John Latham is a GP trainer in inner-city Dublin Heroin addiction is a chronic disease with associated morbidity and mortality as well as forensic, public health and social consequences. Methadone has been increasingly used since Dole and Nyswander's original trial in 1965.[1] Its half-life is far longer than that...
There is no straightforward answer to this one and it is not an uncommon scenario for a GP. Many doctors would consider this as a ‘heartsink patient’. Our attitudes as Christians have got to be different though. The man before you is loved by God and, however desperate his situation appears...
'Freedom is a word I seldom use without meaning' sang Bob Dylan. But freedom is a word and a concept that is frequently used in Scripture to describe the effect that God has on individual believers: The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me...
The treatment of addictions, including drug addictions, is part of the job of all doctors: ‘Drug mis-users have the same entitlement as other patients to the services provided by the NHS. It is the responsibility of all doctors to provide the care for both general health needs and drug related...
It's easy to buy drugs from illegal suppliers. However some drugs not only cause serious harm, but also make the user crave future doses. The need for repeated doses of a drug can occur with drugs pre-scribed by a doctor, as well as those bought illegally. Such dependence can be...
Drug testing takes off in workplace On current trends within two years it will be almost impossible for recreational drug users to get a job with larger companies. Drug testing at work is probably the single most effective weapon we have against adult substance abuse. It is a proven, low...
Unlike Mickie, many of his fellow inmates have been involved with drugs prior to prison. In a survey of 1,751 sentenced male prisoners, 43% had misused drugs in the six month period before entering prison[1]. Maybe this is not too surprising. It is estimated that as much as 70% of...
