Transcript Co-ordinating action on drug issues

Co-ordinating action on drug issues
Service User
Perspectives
The New Abstentionists,Drug
Treatment – The Great
Debate
Thursday 3rd April 2008
The Scottish Parliament
Katrina Dornan,Jason Wallace and
Gordon Wilson
Co-ordinating action on drug issues
SDF User
Involvement (UI)
National UI Research
Review of the role of methadone in the
treatment of drug problems (2006)
Aftercare Research (2008)
Glasgow UI Research
Poverty Study (2006)
Hepatitis C Managed Care Network Patient
Pathway Evaluation (2008)
Co-ordinating action on drug issues
Abstinence is good?
• Gain stability
• Lead to improved relationships
including improved ability to care
for dependent children
• Improve financial position
• Move on to training,education and
employment
• Gain/regain self-respect
Co-ordinating action on drug issues
Drug- Free treatment
completion equals
success?
“ You need to feel like it’s you
making the choices rather
than (feeling) it is being
made for you? You do need
to feel….part of the choices
made throughout your life”
Co-ordinating action on drug issues
Even methadone
patients want to be
abstinent?
“ You are kind of in the middle
still and it is hard,it is like
being the new boy at
school…..”
“It is finding the wee niche you
belong in now because you
are not a user so you are not
part of their group but you
are not clean yet so you are
not kind of part of their
group…”
Co-ordinating action on drug issues
3% drug –free in
Scotland,25% in
England?
• When does recovery end ?
• Misleading figures
Co-ordinating action on drug issues
Divert to residential
rehabilitation?
• Help with housing benefit and
council tax arrears
• Money/finance advice and
information
• Accessing volunteer work
• Accessing education/training
• Accessing furniture projects
Co-ordinating action on drug issues
Maintenance is
incompatible with a
truly productive life?
• Choice
• Flexibility
• Stigma
• “Parked on Methadone”
Co-ordinating action on drug issues
At least society benefits
from reduced crime?
• Communities blighted by drug use
• Residents living in no-go areas
• People committing crime to
receive treatment
Co-ordinating action on drug issues
Surely things are better
now?
• More needle exchanges
• Naloxone Pilots
• More services
• UI groups
• Wider choice of treatment options
• DTTOs
Co-ordinating action on drug issues
Can we change?
• Stop stigmatising drug users
• Individual needs
• Person centred