UPFRONT
Drink and Drugs News is published by CJ Wellings Ltd, Romney House, School Road, Ashford, Kent TN27 0LT
Editor: Claire Brown e: claire @ cjwellings. com
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IN THIS ISSUE
COVER STORY: GAMBLING AND SUICIDE
6
INSIDE
4 NEWS Nitazene deaths quadruple; new risks from street benzos
8 RELEASE Employment challenges 12 LETTERS & COMMENT Your say 13 NITAZENES Why language matters 16 REHAB Why the numbers matter 17 APPG Saving residential treatment 18 FARM LIFE A community in action
22 CONNECTION Service meets real life
10 14 20
Temporary accommodation one-stop-shop
Veterans’ services The ketamine trap
DDN IS 21 THIS MONTH!
Thank you to our partners, advertisers and loyal readers for supporting us through 21 years of independent publishing – still proud to bring you a free magazine in print and online! www. drinkanddrugsnews. com
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Let’ s get wise – we have a key role on gambling
The reasons for suicide by a young person can be very hard to understand, with many factors coming into play. In this month’ s issue we consider how the evidence speaks for itself – that gambling can be a direct contributor to suicide but our system is unwilling or unable to recognise this. Governments, regulators – even coroners through under-reporting – seem to be turning a blind eye, letting industry run with the narrative that tragedies relate to a small number of people who‘ don’ t use the products properly’. Let’ s get wise to the situation – we have a key role in being proactive on prevention.
Meanwhile, we all know that our treatment system is under enormous pressure right now. Not only are we battling to right the ship from a ten-year tide of underinvestment, but budgets haven’ t been confirmed and it’ s really hard to plan for the vital continuity we all need. Prison and probation are bursting at the seams, drug-related deaths continue to rise – yet tried and tested treatment is being undervalued. Nobody in these pages is saying that residential rehab is the only way – but as our articles show, it is an absolutely vital piece of our treatment landscape if we are to be in any way responsive to discovering, addressing, and helping with complex needs. Claire Brown, editor www. drinkanddrugsnews. com and @ DDNmagazine
WWW. DRINKANDDRUGSNEWS. COM NOVEMBER 2025 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • 3