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Contents
editor’s letter
‘Forget shouting... where would we
be without the everyday heroes
who just get on with things?’
ON THE COVER
Service users come together for Recovery Month and
Overdose Awareness day. Pic by RDaSH Communications.
4
NEWS
Record drug deaths registered yet again.
6
8
9
CHOOSE LIFE
Successful events from this year’s Recovery Month and International
Overdose Awareness Day.
NEWS FOCUS
What can be done to stop the brutality of the Filipino president’s
‘war on drugs’?
POST-ITS FROM PRACTICE
Dr Steve Brinksman looks at how a patient’s request for painkiller
prescriptions might not always relate to physical pain.
10 SPREADING THE WORD
Much-needed support for those struggling with dependency on
opioid painkillers.
12 THE DISCOVERY OF RECOVERY
Mike Ashton explores the origins and meaning of the word recovery.
13 LEGAL
‘Am I obliged to disclose a medical condition to my new employer?’
Nicole Ridgwell provides the answer.
15 LET’S GET RADICAL
Confronting public fears on harm reduction.
16 THE HEART OF THE MATTER
Neil Hunt and Sean Tanzey pay tribute to the recently retired, and much
loved, Pat Lamdin and find themselves questioning the sector’s values.
18 HOW I BECAME A...
Hannah Feeney on bringing her passion for social work into the
substance misuse field.
19 A MODEL OF CHOICE
It’s time to consider another way of treating addiction, says Dr Julia Lewis.
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I
t’s easy to take notice of those who shout the loudest, but where
would we be without the everyday heroes who just get on with
things? The article about Pat Lamdin’s retirement (page 16) is not
just an appreciation of a jolly good bloke – the piece is bursting
with frustration at the sector’s failure to cherish and retain good
people. Pat stayed in his job because he had a meaningful
connection with the clients he was working with and cared more
for them than for personal career progression. His ambitions were
for their welfare over ‘advancing’ to management. But there are
countless tales of other talented people who have left the sector
because their job no longer feels like a vocation.
What’s your experience? Maybe you love your job and are
following your chosen career path like Hannah Feeney, page 18. Are
you working within a supportive structure that makes you feel
motivated, or are you feeling demoralised by targets and budget
constraints, and looking for a way out? Let us know – in confidence
if you prefer. Help us identify what the workforce needs and what
makes you come to work each day.
Also in this issue – including our joyous cover picture! – we
celebrate Recovery Month (page 6), take the opportunity to look at
the origins of the term ‘recovery’ (page 12), and note that in commemorating Recovery Month and International Overdose Awareness
Day, communities are sharing the same goals, campaigns and, in
many cases, members – demonstrating a unity of purpose that defies
being categorised as belonging to one ‘movement’ or another.
Claire Brown, editor
Website: www.drinkanddrugsnews.com
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Publishers:
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Cover by RDaSH Communications
October 2016 | drinkanddrugsnews | 3