Drug and Alcohol Misuse

This report is a 'primer for addiction counselors and recovery coaches' and discusses change in the professional addiction treatment community. Addressed to the thousands of counselors and therapists on the daily firing line, it offers them a renaissance of ideas that will provide the suffering addicts with which they work an increased opportunity for lasting recovery.

Report identifying the extent of partner abuse in Scotland, both since the age of 16 and over a 12-month period. It assesses the nature and impact of partner abuse and explores the extent to which people or organisations were informed about the abuse, in particular contact with the police about the incident.

Research that highlight's some important issues surrounding the role alcohol plays in society, perceptions of what constitutes problem drinking and awareness of and attitudes towards services. It also explores perceptions of 'what works'. A problem for policy-makers is the questionable compatibility of strategies to, on the one hand, stress that ‘getting legless’ is not normal or socially acceptable, while on the other, trying to reduce stigmatisation associated with alcohol problems so as to encourage people to seek help through services.

The Ministerial Task Force on health inequalities was set up by the current Scottish Government. The aim is to tackle the inequalities in health which prevent Scotland reaching its potential. This document meets the Task Force’s commitment to report on what now needs to be done to tackle health inequalities more effectively.

This report was produced by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) in response to a request made in July 2007 by the Home Office for the ACMD to review the classification of cannabis in light of the public concern about the potential mental health effects of cannabis use and in particular the use of stronger strains of the drug.

The Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SCJS)1 is a large-scale continuous survey measuring adults’ experience and perceptions of crime in Scotland. The survey is based on, annually, 16,000 in-home face-to-face interviews with adults (aged 16 or over) living in private households in Scotland.

Report assessing the validity of Scottish survey data on alcohol consumption and attempting to explain the apparent discrepancy between survey and non-survey indicators of drinking. It also attempts to make definitive statements about drinking trends over the past decade and makes recommendations for improving Scottish survey data on alcohol.

The Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007 was passed by the Scottish Parliament in February 2007 and received royal assent on 22 March 2007. Part 1 of the Act deals with the protection of adults at risk of harm. It is scheduled to come into effect in the autumn of 2008. This booklet is a brief summary of the provisions of Part 1 of the Act.

This report reviews the prevention of hepatitis C and what actions could be taken to reduce its transmission and improve knowledge and awareness, particularly among at-risk groups. The report therefore focuses on HCV prevention among injecting drug users.

There is concern that the needs of people with alcohol related brain damage (ARBD) and their carers are not being well met by current service provision across Scotland.

The Expert Group which produced this report was set up by the Scottish Executive to achieve better understanding of the issues and problems involved, and to advise on how they can be addressed.