Drugs

According to a recent analysis of wastewater, cocaine use in Britain has more than doubled over the past five years. The analysis was carried out by forensic scientists at King’s College, London, who tested the water for benzoylecgonine (BE), a compound which the body produces when breaking down cocaine. According to the results from the […]

Xanax is commonly associated as a prescription drug, used to treat those with anxiety and panic disorders. It is a central nervous system tranquiliser, prescribed by medical professionals to relieve tension while reducing psychological side effects. Xanax has similar effects to drugs such as benzodiazepine yet is recommended for short-term use only. If Xanax is […]

Addiction is a serious problem in the UK, with 268,251 adults listed as in contact with alcohol or drug services between April 2018 and March 2019. As the festive season approaches, these addictions are felt more keenly by addicts for a number of reasons. Both Christmas and New Year can be a struggle for those suffering […]

Society has a very particular idea of what an addict should look like, they portray addicts as either hedonistic or destitute with no in-betweens and this view is further reinforced across the media. Whilst there are, of course, people who struggle with addiction who fit into one of these categories, they are by no means the only […]

In the Home Secretary’s commissioning letter for the 2017–2019 Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) work programme, the ACMD were asked to look at “factors that make vulnerable people misuse drugs and what could be done to prevent misuse and protect these groups from associated harms”. This was a strategy designed to help […]

If you have ever read the leaflet that accompanies almost every form of medication, the risk of side effects will be familiar and concerning. However, mixing alcohol and medications increases the likelihood of those risks occurring, creating an altogether more dangerous situation. Raising awareness of the harmful interactions between alcohol and medications can improve lives […]

Getting out of addiction and into recovery is tough, and potentially one of the most difficult things you will ever have to do. But, unfortunately, getting into treatment is not the end of the story for you and your addiction. Staying clean and sober after you leave rehab is also difficult, and there is no […]

It is one of life’s ironies that the best way to recover from an addiction is to make sure that everyone in your life knows about it, and is thus able to support you. However, at the same time, talking about addiction is such a taboo. Although, in the medical community, awareness and understanding of […]

Recent NHS Digital figures have shown that three times more patients with cocaine-induced mental disorders are being admitted to hospitals in England today than there were a decade ago. According to these statistics, whilst there were 5,148 hospital admissions in 2007/8, in 2017/18 this number had climbed to a terrifying 14,470 – or 40 people […]

Social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are now used by millions of the population, on a global scale. Although there are many positives to these social media sites, there have recently been significant negative associations; with a key focus on mental health issues. The most common group of individuals suffering with stress, depression […]

According to the 2017 European Drug Report, drug related deaths in Europe have been steadily increasing for years, and the UK has the highest number of incidences, claiming 31% of all overdoses reported. The UK also has the highest number of heroin addicts, and more than half of the people in contact with drug and […]

In a landmark ruling, an Oklahoma judge recently ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $572 million as part of an injunction that found the pharmaceutical firm partly liable for the human and financial costs of the current prescription painkiller crisis in the U.S. As one of America’s biggest companies, this verdict is a huge blow […]

It is well known that heroin is one of the most addictive drugs on the street, able to form a dependency quickly and cause devastation to the lives of users after just a couple of hits. However, this information does not seem to stop people trying it, and drug related deaths in the UK, particularly […]

Getting clean from any addiction is a reason to celebrate. It takes a lot of work and a lot of willpower to get through detox and make the decision to change your life in this way forever, so you deserve a treat afterwards. One of the ways in which you can celebrate your sobriety is […]

As the demands of drug trading advances, this is having a direct effect on knife crime in large cities, such as London. Although crime and drug abuse have always been associated, drug gangs are now becoming out of control by targeting young people, damaging generations and communities. This is a highly serious issue, driving greater […]

There are a variety of treatments used to help people to recover from an addiction. Whilst medication and detox is critical in the early days of recovery, therapy is essential to break the dependence that makes a social drinker into an alcoholic. One of the most commonly used type of therapies for alcoholics is Cognitive […]