Good practice in school based alcohol education programmes

Objective: To identify elements of good practice in designing and delivering alcohol education programmes in schools. Methods: Literature reviews and published programme evaluations were used to identify key elements of good practice. Results: Principles of good practive are identified and discussed. Five main issues are highlighted: choosing a universal or targetted approach, the need for theoretical frameworks, adopting a stand-alone or multi-component approach; issues of delivery and programme fidelity, and balancing programme fidelity and cultural relevance. Conclusions: Programme objectives, programme fidelity and cultural context are important factors in designing programmes and will influence outcomes and evaluation of success. Practice: Programme development and implementation can draw on results from evaluated programmes to design alcohol education programmes suited to specific contexts, the availability of resources and the perceived needs of the target groupand the problem to be addressed. Implications: In developing alcohol education programmes, there is a need to draw on the evidence and experience accrued from previous efforts

Drug Policy. By AlisonRitter, London & New York: Routledge, 2022. ISBN: 9781032124278 (paperback) [Book review]

Book review of: Drug Policy by Alison Ritter, London & New York: Routledge, 2022, ISBN: 9781032124278 (paperback

Drug consumption in London: a city of diverse and changing scenes

[Summary of the book containing this chapter:] Two Worlds of Drug Consumption in Late Modern Societies reports the findings of an empirical study of drug users in London, Amsterdam, Turin, Prague, Vienna and Warsaw, European cities representative of a wide range of drug problems and public policies. The innovative study reconceives the standard distinctions between 'hard-core' and 'recreational' drug users in terms of their social position. The authors argue that this is closely related to consumption patterns rather than drug choice, and reveals that two relatively homogenous drug worlds exist within each of the study sites. This leads to the development of diverging drug markets; a friendly market for the integrated consumer, and a highly commercialized one for the marginalized customer, where low quality goods are sold at a higher price. These findings have significant implications for academics and professionals working in health, psychology and urban studies

The role of evidence and the expert in contemporary processes of governance: the case of opioid substitution treatment policy in England

Background This paper is based on research examining stakeholder involvement in substitution treatment policy which was undertaken as part of the EU funded FP7 ALICE-RAP (Addictions and Lifestyles in Contemporary Europe – Reframing Addictions Project). In England, the research coincided with a policy shift towards a recovery orientated drug treatment framework and a heated debate surrounding the role of substitute prescribing. The study aimed to explore the various influences on the development of the new ‘recovery’ policy from the perspectives of the key stakeholders involved. Methods The paper is based on documentary analyses and key informant interviews with a range of stakeholders, including representatives of user organisations, treatment providers, civil servants, and members of expert committees. Results Drawing on the theoretical insights offered by Backstrand’s ‘civic science’ framework, the changing role of evidence and the position of experts in the processes of drugs policy governance are explored. ‘Evidence’ was used to problematise the issue of substitution treatment and employed to legitimise, justify and construct arguments around the possible directions of policy and practice. Conflicting beliefs about drug treatment and about motivation for policy change emerge in the argumentation, illustrating tensions in the governance of drug treatment and the power differentials separating different groups of stakeholders. Their role in the production of evidence also illustrates issues of power regarding the definition and development of ‘usable knowledge’. There were various attempts at greater representation of different forms of evidence and participation by a wider group of stakeholders in the debates surrounding substitution treatment. However, key national and international experts and the appointment of specialist committees continued to play dominant roles in building consensus and translating scientific evidence into policy discourse. Conclusion Substitution treatment policy has witnessed a challenge to the dominance of ‘scientific evidence’ within policy decision making, but in the absence of alternative evidence with an acceptable credibility and legitimacy base, traditional notions of what constitutes evidence based policy persist and there is a continuing lack of recognition of ‘civic science’

Granule Cell Dispersion in Human Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: Proteomics investigation of neurodevelopmental migratory pathways

Granule cell dispersion (GCD) is a common pathological feature observed in the hippocampus of patients with Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (MTLE). Pathomechanisms underlying GCD remain to be elucidated, but one hypothesis proposes aberrant reactivation of neurodevelopmental migratory pathways, possibly triggered by febrile seizures. This study aims to compare the proteomes of basal and dispersed granule cells in the hippocampus of eight MTLE patients with GCD to identify proteins that may mediate GCD in MTLE. Quantitative proteomics identified 1882 proteins, of which 29% were found in basal granule cells only, 17% in dispersed only and 54% in both samples. Bioinformatics analyses revealed upregulated proteins in dispersed samples were involved in developmental cellular migratory processes, including cytoskeletal remodelling, axon guidance and signalling by Ras homologous (Rho) family of GTPases (P<0.01). The expression of two Rho GTPases, RhoA and Rac1, was subsequently explored in immunohistochemical and in situ hybridisation studies involving eighteen MTLE cases with or without GCD, and three normal post mortem cases. In cases with GCD, most dispersed granule cells in the outer-granular and molecular layers have an elongated soma and bipolar processes, with intense RhoA immunolabelling at opposite poles of the cell soma, while most granule cells in the basal granule cell layer were devoid of RhoA. A higher density and percentage of cells expressing RhoA was observed in cases with GCD than without GCD (P<0.004). In GCD cases, the density and percentage of cells expressing RhoA was significantly higher in the inner molecular layer than granule cell layer (P<0.026), supporting proteomic findings. In situ hybridisation studies using probes against RHOA and RAC1 mRNAs revealed fine peri- and nuclear puncta in granule cells of all cases. The density of cells expressing RHOA mRNAs were significantly higher in the inner molecular layer of cases with GCD than without GCD(P=0.05). In summary, our study has found limited evidence for ongoing adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus of patients with MTLE, but evidence of differential dysmaturation between dispersed and basal granule cells has been demonstrated, and elevated expression of Rho GTPases in dispersed granule cells may contribute to the pathomechanisms underpinning GCD in MTLE

Drug and Alcohol Studies (Volume 6: Current trends, continuing issues and new challenges)

VOLUME SIX: CURRENT TRENDS, CONTINUING ISSUES AND NEW CHALLENGES Toward a Global View of Alcohol, Tobacco, Cannabis and Cocaine Use Louisa Degenhardt et al Findings from the WHO World Mental Health Surveys Global Burden of Disease and Injury and Economic Cost Attributable to Alcohol Use and Alcohol-Use Disorders Jürgen Rehm et al Cannabis Supply and Demand Reduction Thoroddur Bjarnason, Andreea Steriu and Anna Kokkevi Evidence from the ESPAD Study of Adolescents in 31 European Countries Gender and Alcohol Consumption: Patterns from the Multinational Genacis Project Richard Wilsnack et al. Drugs and Development Merrill Singer The Global Impact of Drug Use and Trafficking on Social and Economic Development 'Idle and Disorderly' Khat Users in Western Uganda Susan Beckerleg Harm Reduction Axel Klein The Right Policy Approach for Africa? Alcohol Use and Its Consequences in South India K. Mohindra et al Views from a Marginalized Tribal Population Not Good Enough to Be Pregnant Sheigla Murphy and Marsha Rosenbaum Is Cannabis a Contributory Cause of Psychosis? Louisa Degenhardt and Wayne Hall Key Findings in A Report on Global Illicit Drug Markets, 1998-2007 Peter Reuter and Franz Trautmann Medicine and the Epidemic of Incarceration in the United States Josiah Rich, Sarah Wakeman and Samuel Dickman Waking up to Sleepiness Simon Williams et al Modafinil, the Media and the Pharmaceuticalization of Everyday/Night Life The Promotion and Marketing of OxyContin Art Van Zee Commercial Triumph, Public Health Tragedy Is Deep Brain Stimulation a Prospective 'Cure' for Addiction? Wayne Hall and Adrian Carter 'Executive Summary and Recommendations' and 'Introduction' in Our Invisible Addicts: First Report of the Older Persons' Substance Misuse Working Group of the Royal College of Psychiatrists Royal College of Psychiatrist

Drug and Alcohol Studies (Volume 1: Historical and Cultural Studies)

VOLUME ONE: HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL STUDIES Mr ATOD's Wild Ride David Courtwright What Do Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Have in Common? Opium, Cocaine and Marijuana in American History David Musto Morality and Medical Science Virginia Berridge Concepts of Narcotic Addiction in Britain, 1820-1926 The Discovery of Addiction Harry Levine Changing Conceptions of Habitual Drunkenness in America Stable Force in a Storm Douglas Kinder and William Walker III Harry J. Aslinger and United States Narcotic Policy, 1930-1962 Alcohol and the State in Nazi Germany, 1933-1945 Hermann Fahrenkrug Coercion and Its Unintended Consequences Alfred McCoy A Study of Heroin Trafficking in South-East and South-West Asia Intoxication and Bad Behaviour Robin Room Understanding Cultural Differences in the Link Slavery from within Mariana Valverde The Invention of Alcoholism and the Question of Free Will Narcotic Use in South-East Asia and afterward Lee Robins, John Helzer and Darlene Davis An Interview Study of 898 Vietnam Returnees New Perspectives on the 'Prohibition Experiment' of the 1920s J. Burnham Opium Smoking in Late Imperial China R. Newman A Reconsideration Between Culture and Nature Pekka Sulkunen Intoxication in Cultural Studies of Alcohol and Drug Us

Drug and Alcohol Studies (Volume 3: Methods and Measurements)

The field of drug and alcohol studies has expanded rapidly in recent years, with estimates of at least a doubling in the number of publications in the past decades. A feature of this wide and multidisciplinary field is the tendency of sub-groups of scholars to operate within their disciplinary silos, paying only token attention to the contributions of others. There are also, naturally, significant differences in approaches of different countries, reflecting different policy frameworks and cultural perspectives. When faced with these challenges to comprehensive study, a publication such as this new six-volume collection - which aims to bring together the various disparate strands of the topic, including key articles written by scholars from across the globe, disciplines and decades - truly proves itself to be a unique and valuable resource for specialist students and researchers in the field. VOLUME THREE: METHODS AND MEASUREMENTS Evaluation of Heroin Maintenance in a Controlled Trial Richard Hartnoll et al Cost-Benefit Analysis of Drug Treatment Services William Cartwright Review of the Literature The National Treatment Outcome Research Study (NTORS) Michael Gossop et al Four to Five-Year Follow-up Results Scientific and Political Challenges in North America's First Randomized Controlled Trial of Heroin-Assisted Treatment for Severe Heroin Addiction Eugenia Oviedo-Joekes et al Rationale and Design of the NAOMI Study Co-Morbidity of Mental Disorders with Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Darrel A. Regier et al Results from the Epidemiologic Catchment Area (ECA) Study Alcohol Consumption and Injury in Western Australia Richard Midford et al A Spatial Correlation Analysis Using Geographic Information Systems Development of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) J. Saunders et al WHO Collaborative Project on Early Detection of Persons with Harmful Alcohol Consumption Unravelling the Preventive Paradox for Acute Alcohol Problems Tim Stockwell et al Assessing Alcohol Consumption Lee Strunin Developments from Qualitative Research Methods Measuring Alcohol-Related Consequences in School Surveys Gerhard Gmel et al Alcohol Attributable Consequences or Consequences with Students' Alcohol Attribution Rapid Assessment and Response Studies of Injecting Drug Use Gerry Stimson et al Knowledge Gain, Capacity-Building and Intervention Development in a Multisite Study The Application of Ethnography with Reference to Harm Reduction in Sverdiovsk Russia Robert Power Putting It in Context Nicholas Jenkins et al The Use of Vignettes in Qualitative Interviewing Development of a Rational Scale to Assess the Harms of Drugs of Potential Misuse David Nutt et al The Clinical Utility of Brain SPECT Imaging in Process Addictions Daniel Amen, Kristen Willeumier and Robert Johnso

Drug and Alcohol Studies (Volume 5: Interventions)

VOLUME FIVE: INTERVENTIONS Natural Recovery from Alcohol Problems Harald Klingemann School-Based Programmes to Prevent Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Use Gilbert Botvin and Kenneth Griffin Community Prevention of Alcohol Problems Harold Holder Can Screening and Brief Intervention Lead to Population-Level Reductions in Alcohol-Related Harm? Nick Heather Sharpening the Focus of Alcohol Policy from Aggregate Consumption to Harm and Risk Reduction Tim Stockwell et al A Review of the Efficacy and Effectiveness of Harm Reduction Strategies for Alcohol, Tobacco and Illicit Drugs Alison Ritter and Jacqui Cameron 10 Years of Experience with Needle and Syringe Exchange Programmes in European Prisons Heino Stover and Joachim Nelles Motivational Interviewing William Miller Research, Practice and Puzzles Controlled Drinking after 25 Years Mark Sobell and Linda Sobell How Important Was the Great Debate? Matching Alcoholism Treatment to Client Heterogeneity Project MATCH Research Group Project MATCH Post-Treatment Drinking Outcomes How Can Cognitive Therapy Help? Aaron Beck et al A Medical Treatment for Diacetylmorphine (Heroin) Addiction Vincent Dole and Marie Nyswander A Clinical Trial with Methadone Hydrochloride Is Treatment for Substance Abuse Effective? A. Thomas McLellan et al From Morphine Clinics to Buprenorphine Jerome Jaffe and Charles O'Keeffe Regulating Opioid Agonist Treatment of Addiction in the United States Heroin-Assisted Treatment (HAT) a Decade Later Benedikt Fischer et al A Brief Update on Science and Politic

Drug and Alcohol Studies (Volume 4: Policy approaches)

VOLUME FOUR: POLICY APPROACHES Preface Robert MacCoun and Peter Reuter The Varieties of Drug Control at the Dawn of the 21st Century Comparative Analysis of Alcohol Control Policies in 30 Countries Donald Brand et al A Comparative Study of 38 European Countries Limited Rationality and the Limits of Supply Reduction Jonathan Caulkins and Robert MacCoun The Limited Relevance of Drug Policy Craig Reinerman, Peter Cohen and Hendrien Kaal Cannabis in Amsterdam and San Francisco AIDS and Injecting Drug Use in the United Kingdom, 1987-1993 Gerry Stimson The Policy Response and the Prevention of the Epidemic Treatment of What? Class, Gender and Work Ethics within the Compulsory Institutional Care of Alcohol Abusers in Sweden during the 20th Century Johan Edman From Margin to Mainstream Dagmar Hedrich, Alessandro Pirona and Lucas Wiessing The Evolution of Harm Reduction Responses to Problem Drug Use in Europe What Can We Learn from the Portuguese Decriminalization of Illicit Drugs? Caitlin Elizabeth Hughes and Alex Stevens Effects of Alcohol Tax and Price Policies on Morbidity and Mortality Alexander Wagenaar et al A Systematic Review Alcohol Industry Influences on U.K. Alcohol Policy Benjamin Hawkins et al A New Research Agenda for Public Health Counting the Costs of the War on Drugs Steve Rolles et al Executive Summary The Death Penalty for Drug Offences: Global Overview 2012 Patrick Gallahue et al Towards Revision of the U.N. Drug Control Conventions David Bewley-Taylor Harnessing Like-Mindednes