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