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16th European Federation of Therapeutic Communities Conference
by Suzi Lyons
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Launch of the National Community Action on Alcohol Network
by Suzi Lyons

 

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Review of drug and alcohol treatment services for adult offenders in prison and in the community
by Brian Galvin
In March 2016, the Probation Service and Irish Prison Service (IPS) published an independent review of alcohol and drug treatment services for adult offenders in the community and in prison.1 The review explores current provision and sets out a model of effective practice for the treatment of adult offenders that can facilitated through a continuum of care from prison to the community. The authors argue that the prison environment provides a unique opportunity to support individuals in addressing addiction, and it is appropriate that a range of treatment and intervention options is provided in the prison estate.
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In this issue
Drug-related deaths and deaths among drug users in Ireland: 2004‒2014
Implementing a health-led approach to drug use – what does it mean?
General public attitude to drug users – CityWide survey
Regenerating Dublin’s North East Inner City
Drug, alcohol and tobacco use among general population in Irish RDTF areas
Alcohol, tobacco and illicit substance use among 17‒18-year-olds in Ireland
Incidence of hepatitis C among people who inject drugs in Ireland
National Self-Harm Registry Ireland annual report, 2015
Incidence of hepatitis C among people who inject drugs in Ireland
National Self-Harm Registry Ireland annual report, 2015
16th European Federation of Therapeutic Communities Conference
Launch of the National Community Action on Alcohol Network
Launch of Recovery Academy Ireland
Review of drug and alcohol treatment services for adult offenders in prison and in the community
RECOVEU: Participative approach to curriculum development for adults in addiction recovery across EU
Lifting the lid on Greentown
Recent publications
Drug-related deaths and deaths among drug users in Ireland: 2004‒2014
The latest figures from the National Drug-Related Deaths Index (NDRDI) show that a total of 697 deaths in Ireland during 2014 were linked to drug use.1 The NDRDI reports on poisoning deaths(also known as overdose), which are due to the toxic effect of a drug or combination of drugs, and on non-poisonings, which are deaths among people who use drugs as a result of trauma such as hanging, or medical reasons such as cardiac events.
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Policy
Implementing a health-led approach to drug use – what does it mean?
by Lucy Dillon
In
the Programme for Government published in May 2016, a commitment was made to ‘supporta health-led rather than criminal justice approach to drug use’ (p. 56).
On 17 November, CityWide Drugs Crisis Campaign held a seminar to explore what this commitment means in practice and what implementing such an approach in Ireland would
involve. Decriminalising the possession of drug use was at the core of much of the discussion.
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General public attitude to drug users – CityWide survey
by Lucy Dillon
The findings of a survey on attitudes to drugs and drug users by the general population were published in November 2016.1 The survey was carried out by Red C for CityWide Drug Crisis Campaign. It was an online national omnibus survey with a nationally representative sample of 1035 adults. The topics covered included respondents’ own drug use, various attitudes and beliefs about drugs and drug users, their place in society, and the decriminalisation of drug use. Some key findings are presented below.
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Regenerating Dublin’s North East Inner City
by Lucy Dillon
In June 2016, a Ministerial Taskforce chaired by An Taoiseach was established to support the long-term economic and social regeneration of Dublin’s North East Inner City (NEIC). This was in response to a series of murders in the area which were linked to an ongoing feud between criminal gangs involved in the drugs trade and other criminal activities. The taskforce appointed Kieran Mulvey, former chairman of the Labour Court, to prepare a report to inform this regeneration. Among the terms of reference were that Mulvey would ‘recommend specific measures which would support the long-term economic and social regeneration of the area, with a ten year timeframe’ (p. 6). On 16 February 2017, ‘Creating a brighter future’: an outline plan for the social and economic regeneration of Dublin’s North East Inner City was published.1
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RECOVEU: Participative approach to curriculum development for adults in addiction recovery across EU
by Thérèse Lynn, Gerry McAleenan
The RECOVEU project was a three-year education initiative funded under the European Union (EU) Grundtvig Lifelong Learning Programme1, which was completed in December 2016. The aim of RECOVEU was to develop innovative learning activities to assist adults in addiction recovery to prepare for, and succeed in, college or university across the EU as well as starting the conversation about recovery capital. Set up in 2014, its partners comprised Soilse (Ireland), Staffordshire University (UK), the Centre for the Advancement of Research and Development in Educational Technology (CARDET-Cyprus), St Dimitrie Basarabov Program (Romania) and the Cooperativa Sociale San Saturnino Onlus (SANSET-Italy).
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Prevalence
Drug, alcohol and tobacco use among general population in Irish RDTF areas
by Sean Millar
The NACDA has recently published Bulletin 2, detailing the prevalence of illicit substance and alcohol and tobacco use by Regional Drug and Alcohol Task Force (RDATF) areas.2 This article highlights the major findings
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Alcohol, tobacco and illicit substance use among 17‒18-year-olds in Ireland
by Sean Millar

Growing up in Ireland is the national longitudinal study of children in the Republic of Ireland. Funded by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA), the project is overseen and managed by the DCYA in association with the Central Statistics Office. The child cohort was recruited in 2007, when 8568 nine-year-olds were interviewed. Just over 7400 young people were re-interviewed at 13 years of age (between August 2011 and February 2012) and just over 6200 participated again at 17–18 years (between 2015 and September 2016). This article highlights key findings on alcohol, tobacco and illicit substance use in this cohort using information collected during the third wave of the study.1 The data were collected in home-based, face-to-face interviews.

 

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New publications
Lifting the lid on Greentown
by Ciara Guiney
On 13 February 2017, Dr Sean Redmond, Adjunct Professor of Youth Justice at the School of Law, University of Limerick, launched the Lifting the lid on Greentown report.1,2 The report outlined a study that examined the effect of a criminal network on the offending behaviour of children between 2010 and 2011 in a regional Garda sub-district outside Dublin referred to as Greentown.
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Recent publications
by HRB National Drugs Library

UPDATES

 

Recent publications

 

The following abstracts are cited from published journal articles recently added to the repository of the HRB National Drugs Library at www.drugsandalcohol.ie

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