A Rapid Assessment Research (RAR) of drug and alcohol related public nuisance in Dublin city centre.

The issue of substance misuse related anti-social behaviour in Dublin city centre has for a long time been a source of media focus and public concern. Following the establishment in 2010 of the Dublin City Local Business Policing Forum, this issue became a recurring item of discussion. A number of agencies and organisations were invited to make presentations on the topic. In January 2011, in his capacity as chairman of the Policing Forum, former Lord Mayor of Dublin, Councillor Gerry Breen, called a meeting of representatives of some of Dublin City’s key stakeholders. At the meeting it was proposed that a generic Good Neighbour policy which could be localised by any drug service could be developed. As part of the Ana Liffey Drug Project’s suite of services, the Progression Routes initiative was tasked with the job of interviewing relevant stakeholders to develop a suitable policy. During this process those involved expressed an interest in establishing a cross city/inter-agency group to address the issues in a co-ordinated manner and this was presented back to the Policing Forum

Family and individual experiences of self detoxification processes in the mid west.

An effective treatment system for drug and alcohol dependence requires the availability of detoxification to individuals, in the context of provision of managed withdrawal (Gowing et al., 2000a;b). Detoxification, in the context of drug and alcohol treatment has been defined as follows; “a set of interventions aimed at managing acute intoxication and withdrawal. Supervised detoxification may prevent potentially life-threatening complications that might appear if the patient was left untreated.” (Centre for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), 2006:4). Research highlights the presence of individual strategies and attempts to achieve abstinence, which include self-detoxification attempts without formal medical assistance and/or with the help of drugs and/or alcohol. Detoxification and the achievement of abstinence is possible without formal treatment and is often preferred with community based supports from local General Practitioners, family and other users. The need for an increase in community and residential detoxification services in Ireland has been articulated at national and local level. Several Community Detox protocols and initiatives have been developed in Ireland. There is a dearth of research on individual and family experiences of the self-detoxification process. Irish research conducted by McDonnell and Van Hout with a sample of opiate dependents observed that family members are often involved in the sourcing of information on treatment options, assisting in treatment access and uptake, user advocacy and the provision of remedial supports whilst detoxifying within the family home. There is a need for further research into the area of family experiences of self-detoxification, so as to inform the development of local and regional community detoxification supports and interagency protocols. Indeed, research has emphasised how the current base of treatment provision must diversify to include the family and the home setting as “legitimate unit for intervention’. Therefore, the aim of the research was to describe family and individual participants’ experiences of self-detoxification processes both within the home and hostel settings using a phenomenologic approach. The phenomenological approach aimed to describe and garner rich understanding of social and psychological phenomena as experienced by the participants themselves and derived from their perspectives around individual, child or partner experiences of self detoxification

Prescribing doctor attitudes, experiences and perspectives on the provision of methadone maintenance treatment in Dublin.

Ten Level 2 prescribing doctors and six Level 1 prescribing doctors were interviewed, of which five operated in both specialised clinics and private practice, three worked only in specialised clinics, and seven were in private practice. Three participants described situations where they were certified as Level 1 in their private practices, but were operating as Level 2 in specialised clinics. All participants described working closely with local pharmacists

Letter to the editor: virtual community of researchers and prevention experts: approximating drug research and practice fields

This paper presents the key findings of a virtual community of addiction experts set up to share evidence- based programmes of prevention on novel psychoactive substance (NPS) use in Portugal. Using a theoretical framework that combines contributions from a virtual community of practice and learning in a virtual environment, with prevention science, this paper traces how members interact in order to improve their prevention intervention domains and approaches, and consider the political and practical implications.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Virtually hidden: a theoretical framework for understanding and conceptualising online drug use pornography

Online drug use pornography has been freely available through websites on the open internet for at least 7 years. Surprisingly there is almost no exploration of its nature, character or impacts on both performers and those engaging with this type of content within the research literature. Nor is it an issue that has engaged health care providers and other statutory and non-statutory agencies even though it may have implications within their respective domains. A preliminary scoping of the online environment is used to propose a theoretical framework that combines Goffman’s performance theory with that of Turner and Schechner’s positioning of ritual theory within performance theory, Butler’s concept of performativity online and Luppichi’s concept of the ‘technoself’. Utilising the proposed theoretical framework, it is postulated that the presence, performance and engagement of online drug use pornography is a social boundary testing and possibly breaking performance centred on iterative relationships between performer and consumers of this content.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Menopause behind locked doors - a phenomenological study of UK prison officers

Extended abstract submitted for the Faculty of Business and Law Research Day 2022

‘Sustaining masculinity’:a scoping review of anabolic androgenic steroid use by older males

In the past, research, policy and media have reported the use of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) primarily among younger males. However, recent studies have indicated the presence of an older cohort of men who use AAS in comparison to previous years. We carried out a scoping review of the extant literature to map and describe what is known about the use of AAS by older men (>40 years). A systematic search collected and analysed empirical research and grey literature relevant to the research question. Following application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 44 studies were included which were subsequently charted and thematically analysed. The records included originated from the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Slovenia, Norway, Spain, Turkey, Switzerland, Japan, and five global studies and were published between 1996 and 2021. Age ranged overall from 14 to 78 years old, however our review only discussed findings pertaining to those older than 40. Three main themes with subthemes were generated as follows: 1) Characteristics of AAS Use; Self-reported Adverse Effects from AAS Use; and Harms Diagnosed by Medical Professional. The review highlights the significant risks to hypothalamic-pituitary testicular function, cardiovascular health, and other organ systems as a result of the ageing man who is motivated to sustain masculine characteristics such as muscularity, youthfulness, sexual function, and perceived desirability and attractiveness. Future research is required to further understand the motivations of older men who use AAS. Furthermore, there is a need for age-specific research and recommendations to inform future policy and practice pertaining so that age-appropriate healthcare and policy decisions can be made in the future

Dihydrocodeine for detoxification and maintenance treatment in illicit opiate-dependent individuals

This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows: To investigate the effects of dihydrocodeine (DHC) in comparison to other pharmaceutical opioids and placebos in the detoxification of opiate-dependent individuals, as well as in maintenance substitution therapy. © 2016 The Cochrane Collaboration