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‘It is a cause for
concern that
these deaths will
not appear on
any national
statistics or
discussion around
drug deaths in
the wider press.’
False pictUre
At the recent meeting of the Drugs, Alcohol and
Criminal Justice Cross-Party Parliamentary
Group, the subject of drugs deaths was
discussed again, and the ONS reported a tiny fall
in the number of deaths reported as ‘drug
poisoning’ in 2017, after a period of year-on-year
rises. While any decrease in the number of drug
deaths is to be welcomed, I cannot help but
worry that these figures paint a false picture of
a much grimmer reality to the wider world.
In the past two weeks I am aware of three
individuals who have sadly passed away in
West London. The causes of death will be
recorded variously as heart failure, asthma
attack or possibly even natural causes in one
case, and yet in each instance there is no doubt
the major contributing factor to these early and
untimely deaths was a long history of
problematic substance use.
It is a cause for concern that these deaths,
by no means unique and most certainly not
uncommon, will not appear on any national
statistics or discussion around drug deaths in
the wider press.
If the reporting of drug deaths were to
include those individuals for whom their
substance use was a major contributing factor
in their early demise, irrespective of the
eventual cause of death, then I imagine you
could increase the number of deaths recorded
by a factor of ten, if not a great deal more.
Perhaps then we could have an honest
discussion with the rest of our fellow citizens
about the need for a properly funded treatment
system, still lacking in so wealthy a nation. I for
one am more than a little weary of adding yet
more names to my personal Book of the Dead
and quietly mourning those who should still be
with us.
Tim Sampey, chief executive, Build on Belief
18 | drinkanddrugsnews | November 2018
be careFUl what
yoU wish For
It’s increasingly difficult to engage with any
kind of media without coming across yet
another opinion column extolling the virtues of
drug legalisation and regulation, or some kind
of ‘debate’ that pitches three pro-legalisers
against some hapless lone defender of the
status quo. It does now seem inevitable that
we are ultimately heading in that direction, but
I think it’s a decision that we’ll come to regret.
The catastrophic opioid epidemic in the US
is largely the result of legal, prescription
opioids, and no one with any sense really buys
into the argument that legalisation will see a
short spike in use that will eventually level out.
What we’ll see will be a free-for-all, no matter
what spurious and ineffectual controls on
advertising and marketing are put in place. And
surely no one believes it will put the dealers
and drug gangs out of business either? The
Canadian government is proudly trumpeting
the fact that you have to be over 18 to legally
buy cannabis – which market do they think the
dealers will be catering for, in that case?
Mephedrone, before it became illegal, was
widely used by people who’d never taken drugs
before, simply because it was easy to buy
online and the ‘legal high’ status made it sound
safe. After the Psychoactive Substances Act,
rates of use plummeted. In the drug treatment
field, it’s easy to exist in a bubble and forget
that most people don’t actually know any drug
dealers or have easy access to drugs. As the
saying goes, be careful what you wish for.
Simon Fanning, by email
/DDNMagazine
@DDNMagazine
www.drinkanddrugsnews.com
Urban
recovery
In his article in last
month’s issue (‘Adios
Recovery Riviera?’, DDN October, page 15)
Mark Gilman questioned the wisdom of
sending people miles away to rehab
instead of supporting them within the
community. Danielle Robinson responds
TRADITIONALLY RESIDENTIAL REHABS TEND TO BE LOCATED IN
RURAL AREAS, by the coast, away from the busy towns and the
inner city. The Acquiesce model of urban recovery simply means
completing residential rehabilitation in an urban setting where
there are triggers aplenty!
Acquiesce believes that recovery is not about living in fear
and hiding away from the world, but supporting individuals to
achieve their potential and live life to the fullest – and to learn
to deal with triggers, we need to experience being triggered. For
example, a simple everyday task like visiting the supermarket
could result in relapse. There may have been an intention to
enter to purchase food, but the sight of the alcohol aisle could
act as a trigger. If this trigger is not managed, it could escalate.
The urban recovery model allows for individuals to recover in
real life situations, while being in a secure and supported
environment. They have the opportunity to gain the tools and
experience necessary to recover, while maintaining a level of
autonomy and responsibility over the process.
The model offers a philosophy of care that helps to ensure
people are included in their families, communities, employment
and education. We deliver this using a five-pronged approach of
providing treatment for the psychological, physical, spiritual,
social and family aspects of addiction, using a combination of
evidence-based 12-step and therapeutic approaches.
Our outcomes evidence shows that individuals who access
residential rehab in their own locality can successfully build
their recovery networks where they live. You could travel to the
opposite end of the earth to go to a rehab centre but you will
still take yourself with you. We feel it is important to identify
that dealing with addiction is an inside job as well looking at
external factors.
Building your recovery capital locally can make leaving
treatment a much less scary prospect, as you are leaving with a
plan of support that you have already begun engaging with.
Many individuals are at their most vulnerable as they leave a
rural residential treatment facility to return to their community,
as they have not built local recovery links and can feel like they
are returning to their home town from their ‘treatment bubble’
only to start from square one.
Danielle Robinson is service manager at Acquiesce,
www.acquiesce.org.uk
www.drinkanddrugsnews.com