NISRA have just released new data on alcohol-specific deaths in Northern Ireland in 2024. This confirms the sad fact that Northern Ireland now has the highest rates of alcohol-specific deaths of any UK nation.

Interesting trial for those, like me, interested in #alcohol, #football and #gender www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

Great coincidence to turn on the radio while making a cup of coffee and come across an episode of the food programme specifically on desi pubs. Great stuff! #alcohol #history #sociology www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand...

Interesting option for a low (but not no) alcohol beer. Reminds me of 'light and bitter'. Just the fact someone's thought of it makes me think it's something for the academics to note. www.instagram.com/reel/DRFxUCg...

The findings of this inquiry are worrying, but sadly unsurprising. We need urgent action to address the crisis in prisons and across our criminal justice system, and substance use treatment has to be a part of that. 1/2

I'm pleased we're setting up this network to share challenges and opportunities to improve support for people who use #ketamine. Please do check out the blog and think about signing up for the event - 14 October 2pm-3.30pm.

In this instance, deaths linked to fentanyl seems to be due to contamination with bacteria, not the drug itself.

Two interesting pieces related to #drugs / #addiction on BBC Radio 4 this week. I thought we'd included them in last week's newsletter, but apparently not! A discussion of drug-related deaths on Inside Health, and a whole series running this week on #psychedelics and their therapeutic potential.

This year #AlcoholAwarenessWeek is focusing on #alcohol and the workplace. Kayleigh Gamblin, National Employment Lead at WithYou, provides a perspective on the role of work in recovery from alcohol issues. www.collectivevoice.org.uk/news/work-as...

Interesting to see this strategy for early years education today and think of parallels with the #drugs & #alcohol world, particularly the commitments on workforce, notably creating a professional register. 1/3 www.gov.uk/government/p...

Collective Voice has responded to the Government's 10-year #health plan. The ideas & principles are welcome, but if they're going to deliver on their ambitions they will need to work closely with #charities & have more of a focus on #alcohol & other #drugs www.collectivevoice.org.uk/comment/coll...

We should be raising awareness of the risks in using ketamine & thinking about how to reduce harm. But "Children as young as 12 are becoming addicted to ketamine, opting to buy the horse tranquilliser over a packet of crisps"?! Does that language support a serious debate? www.itv.com/news/2025-06...

This new report from @ias.org.uk and @shaapalcohol.bsky.social is worth a look. I'm not anti-alcohol or opposed to the industry, but we need an open, honest debate about policy. Some of these moves by the #alcohol industry look at best disingenuous, which is really disappointing.

This is definitely worth a listen for those with an interest in substance use issues. Richard Coles talks about loving someone who's struggling with their drinking & going to Al-Anon, as well as his own substance use. #alcohol #drugs www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Re-sharing this as I hope it's useful to raise awareness of the treatment that's out there for people facing issues with #alcohol. I know it's not the perfect intro, but I think we don't do enough of this for wider audiences. Do listen, share & comment - how can we communicate better & more widely?

The online abuse that Katie Boulter has received, as described in this piece, is outrageous. I was surprised, though, by the clear link made to #gambling / #betting, with the BBC paraphrasing the research: "angry gamblers sent 40% of all detected abuse". www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis...

This is a surprisingly good piece on substance use, specifically ketamine. Lots of detail, and quite thoughtful. (Via @drugwise.bsky.social) www.newstatesman.com/politics/hea...

I caught this programme yesterday on Radio 4. It's unusual to have such a detailed and extensive discussion of problems related to #drugs on a major radio network. 1/3 www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

It was fun to record this discussion of what #alcohol treatment is & how it's organised & funded. Inevitably there were loads of things we didn't get time to cover properly. It'd be good to cover topics including quality & accessibility of treatment, diversity & inclusion, sustainability of funding.

De-siloing substance misuse and self-harm research through integrated public health and emergency medicine - The Lancet Public Health www.thelancet.com/journals/lan... via @lisaangelica.bsky.social

I'm still on holiday visiting Lyme Regis museum, but there's no escaping #alcohol & #temperance history!

Gauke's sentencing review report is finally out! Full assessment will come after gov announces its response, but some initial thoughts here. Overall: lot of sensible proposals, likely to be some big implementation challenges, and a few risks 🧵

It's been interesting to read the final report of the Independent Sentencing Review today, discuss with colleagues & see other people comment. You can read some of my thoughts below. I have quite mixed feelings: some sensible diagnosis but some out of date; some sensible proposals but others odd.

It was nice to dust off my old academic persona and write this for @ias.org.uk about how we often misunderstand people's #alcohol drinking behaviour & how we can engage with the reality and make good policy by learning from #harmreduction in the world of #drugs. Comments & engagement very welcome!

The number of people sleeping rough and cuts by the previous government have led to overstretched services that are having to prioritise short-term crisis management over long-term prevention.

The Government is currently advertising the role of Independent Advisor to the UK Government on drugs. This is the role that Dame Carol Black has held for several years, originally appointed under the Conservative Government. 1/3

There's a new blog post from me in the thread below, expressing a mixture of frustration and optimism not just in relation to Government policy, but the wider media context and reaction. There's more we can do to reduce harm from #drugs, but #stigma only makes it worse.

Interesting piece from @fieldmatt.bsky.social, relevant for people developing effective treatment for substance use issues but also wider general comms. theconversation.com/addiction-is... (via @drugwise.bsky.social)

It's been a privilege to be part of this work bringing together researchers, practitioners, people with lived/living experience & the wider public to set priorities for future research on #addiction #alcohol & #drugs. Now let's make stuff actually happen! Get in touch to get involved in our networks

Great to read this from @mhiaddictionsig.bsky.social via @ias.org.uk. At @collective-voice.bsky.social we already have a forum for our member charities' research leads & are looking to work with the SIG to build links between research & practice on substance use issues www.ias.org.uk/2025/05/06/c...

3.5-year fully funded PhD studentship hosted by @northumbriauni.bsky.social and co-supervised by the @britishlibrary.bsky.social: ‘The Northern Echo and the Politics of Place’ - please share widely if you can! www.northumbria.ac.uk/research/pos...

A pharmacist working in Dorset has been struck off after acquiring and writing illegitimate prescriptions for dihydrocodeine. www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/2512344...

This is a *key* new paper in the world of school mental health interventions A very large trial (N=6388) testing a universal CBT-based app for adolescent depression (13-14y) No effects found (on depression, anxiety, distress or insomnia) (🧵) mentalhealth.bmj.com/content/28/1...

It's great to see the appointment of Wendy Eley as the Chair of MEAM - Making Every Adult Matter. Liv Corbishley has expertly steered the organisation to becoming an independent charity & I look forward to working with Wendy on the next stage of that process. meam.org.uk/2025/04/29/m...

Been seeing people sharing a certain someone's TED talk recently. So I wrote this about what Rat Park actually found, why it's an important study, but it's really important not to sensationalise what it found for that 'truthy' soundbite.

I really enjoyed the roundtable with staff that led to this brief report on how we can improve research career pathways in the field of #alcohol / #drugs / #addiction treatment. Please take a look & get in touch if you'd like to be involved in further improving links between #research and practice.

This is an interesting piece on regret and FOMO in relation to drinking, but I think the whole framework, with a theory of 'planned behaviour' risks misunderstanding or misrepresenting the fundamental ambivalence of drinking & drunkenness. 1/5 theconversation.com/how-fomo-the...

This looks like an interesting job to be aware of for people on here interested in #pubs and #alcohol: "Strategic Policy and Compliance Team Leader - Pubs Code Adjudicator" www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/jobs.cgi...

I've just been flicking through the @collective-voice.bsky.social weekly bulletin of news stories, and this clip of Suggs talking to Nihal Arthanayake about stopping drinking really jumped out at me. 1/3 www.instagram.com/reel/DH6KFG7...

Closing the loop ... our response to the responses to our paper on alcohol and pleasure is now available. Thanks again to the respondents 🙏, and to everyone who has commented in person or online. It's been a great discussion so far, and hopefully continues. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

In the Parliamentary debate on employer National Insurance contributions today, the Minister was clear on the principle guiding their approach. The government will protect its own operation, public corporations & local government. hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2025... 1/3

In the Parliamentary debate on employer National Insurance contributions today, the Minister was clear on the principle guiding their approach. The government will protect its own operation, public corporations & local government. hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2025... 1/3

There really does seem to be a particular media focus on ketamine at the moment. I find this interesting as we were training Dorset GPs on these issues back in 2012. Things do seem to go in cycles. www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/2500468...

Just seen that Antonia Romeo will be the new Home Office Permanent Secretary. This is big news in the #alcohol & #drugs world, as she is replacing Matthew Rycroft who has been a strong leader for the #drugs strategy and engaged well across the field. www.gov.uk/government/n...

Here's the link to the specific episode now it's finished www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Interesting to be listening to The Life Scientific, featuring Jonathan Shepherd, the architect of the Cardiff Model of using health data to monitor levels of violence, particularly related to alcohol and the night-time economy. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Here we go again with pledges to cut the civil service… The last government set a headcount reduction target; this government has not. Good. You can’t set a target w/out doing the work of identifying what you want stopped BUT, they’re making other, deeply counterproductive mistakes 🧵

Conference: Women and Alcohol: Dangerous Pleasures? Dublin, June 19-20: www.eventbrite.ie/e/women-and-...

Next week the Collective Voice Women's Treatment Working Group is hosting a webinar to discuss how we can improve engagement and outcomes for women with issues with alcohol or other drugs. See details below and please do sign up - there's a great group of people involved.

It's great news that Collective Voice has managed to secure the appointment of Rosanna as Chair of Trustees, with her experience & insight. I'm looking forward to working with her to develop the work of Collective Voice, supporting collaboration & improvement in the field of #alcohol & other #drugs