Drug and Alcohol Misuse

Motivational interviewing is a well-known, scientifically tested method of counselling clients developed by Miller and Rollnick and viewed as a useful intervention strategy in the treatment of lifestyle problems and disease.

An evaluation of a pilot study delivering Screening and Brief Interventions (SBIs) in a young people's sexual health service has shown positive results through a number of findings. The Place, in Sandyford, Glasgow and Clyde, piloted the scheme using a grant from AERC after a needs assessment showed alcohol was a significant factor for many of those attending the clinic.

This review is a critical appraisal of the evidence base for the treatments available for people with alcohol problems. The review covers interventions ranging from simple advice and mutual aid to intensive specialist treatment. It has been written to inform Models of Care for Alcohol Misusers (MoCAM), which provides a model framework and standards for the commissioning and development of local integrated treatment systems for alcohol misuse.

The purpose of this review is to summarize policy research findings in the area of maternal prenatal substance abuse to (1) inform and advance this field, (2) identify future research needs, (3) inform policy making and (4) identify implications for policy. As a review, this is a systematic analysis of existing data (findings) on maternal drug use during pregnancy for determining the best policy among the alternatives for dealing with drug using mothers and their children.

Alcoholism is one of the most common psychiatric disorders with a prevalence of 8 to 14 percent. This heritable disease is frequently accompanied by other substance abuse disorders (particularly nicotine), anxiety and mood disorders, and antisocial personality disorder.

Although associated with considerable morbidity and mortality, alcoholism often goes unrecognized in a clinical or primary health care setting. Several brief screening instruments are available to quickly identify problem drinking, often a pre-alcoholism condition.

This summary sets out the main findings from a review of the recent literature on strategies to tackle illicit drug markets and distribution networks in the UK.

This report discusses the involvement of drug users in making decisions about their treatment.

A training resource about service user involvement in your organisation.

A Rapid Evidence Assessment of international literature on effective substance misuse services for homeless people was conducted to review best practice in other countries and determine if there were any lessons for Scotland.

This discussion paper sets out further detail about how the Government plans to implement the recommendations of the Gregg Review on personalised conditionality and support (published in December 2008). In particular it focuses on the supportive framework we want to put in place to help many more parents with younger children and Employment and Support Allowance claimants to prepare for work. Putting this framework in place should ensure further progress in our aim to support families, promote employment and eradicate child poverty.