As random drug testing in schools becomes more common place, so does the ongoing debate about what good it will do. The idea of random drug testing is not to catch out those using drugs, but to act as a deterrent to try and stop children and teenagers developing drug addictions in the first place. But is it working to alleviate peer pressure and to stop young people taking drugs or is it having an unforeseen negative effect which is making our younger popular feel like their schools are presuming they are using drugs until they prove otherwise?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/3437769/China-offers-therapy-to-4-million-internet-addicts.html

The above links refers to an article published by the Telegraph.co.uk written concerning Internet addictions. Whilst the article refers mainly to the population of China it highlights the fact that as technology develops so it creates more avenues for addiction problems to manifest themselves – without the Internet there would be no Internet addiction, but that would not necessarily dictate that those 4 million people in China (and everyone throughout the world that has an Internet addiction) would be free from any addiction problems? As far as this article suggests, the classification for such a problem as an Internet addiction involves an analysis of time spent on the Internet and physiological reactions, whilst hard to define the problem is evident. We need to be aware and make it a priority to educate the masses about the wide spread problem of addictions – regardless of whether it is modern technology or substance abuse that is the latest example to highlight the problem.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article4958885.ece

The above link to an article written in the Times Online refers to the chicken and the egg scenario - do drugs make kids lives bad or do bad kids use drugs - this article suggests that scientists have determined that drugs are bad for kids, rather than bad kids do drugs.

“Early drinking and drug-taking raise the future risk of addiction, teenage pregnancy, failure at school, sexually-transmitted infections (STIs) and crime, independently of other factors that might predispose to these outcomes, scientists have determined.|”

So, what is the answer? - how can we educate the young members of our society to stop them from experiencing all the negative events that are proven to be directly associated with drinking and taking drugs as young teenagers?

http://www.addictiontoday.org/addictiontoday/2008/09/defining-recove.html

The link above relates to an article addressing the way we define recovery.  The key question, as highlighted by Addiction Today, is  “if today’s search for outcome statistics is to lead to clinical effectiveness and clinical cost-effectiveness, what definition will help us to measure outcomes, for both comparative purposes and to feedback into programme improvements? “.

How is recovery characterised, what impact does this have on treatment and will one definition ever be all encompassing?

Over 2,000,000 individuals make up the Alcohol Anonymous’ informal society - but what exactly is AA and how could the fellowship help you?  Check out http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/geninfo/02whatis.htm to read about AA, how it developed, how it functions, view AAs informative literature section and learn how AA can help you or your loved one to turn their lives around and live in sobriety without the constraints of an alcohol dependency.

http://www.cam.ac.uk/about/scienceseminars/drugs/treatment.html

Please click in the above link to read an article written by Prof David Nutt (Professor of Psychopharmacology), in this article Prof Nutt discusses the biological, medical, legal and ethical aspects of treatment of addictions and makes suggestions around the shift in perspective from considering addictions as a moral disorder to a chronic illness, requiring treatment such as chronic medical disorders (for example diabetes). This article touches on the bigger picture and the implications regarding criminality and the reduction of drug related social and medical issues that stem from effective treatment.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chrismoyles/aled_alcohol_morph.shtml

What can we learn from experiments such as the one currently being conducted by Radio 1 (see above link)?  How many people will pay attention to such an accessible study into the affects of alcohol and what do you think?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/07/31/do3102.xml

We all have our opinions on what causes drug and alcohol abuse. Our opinions are based on our own experiences, whether direct or indirect, but also by the stigmatization and stereotypes that prevail relentlessly in our minds, regardless of the facts.  But what are the facts?  Once thought to be a problem for the ‘poor’ substance abuse problems in the UK could not fit into this category any less easily if it tried – if you have picked up a news paper or read a magazine in the last decade surely it is obvious that drink and drugs can effect all of us, regardless of social status or the state of our bank balance? As Neil McKeganey (Professor of Drug Misuse Research at the University of Glasgow) states in the attached article, ‘Yes, drug taking proliferates in areas of social breakdown but it also causes social breakdown. Abuse has also now spread across all social classes, and among the rich and the famous.’  So when will we (our population and our government) start to see addiction problems for what they are…a disease which can effect all of us, despite our social background, upbringing and socio-economic status?

http://www.justice.gov.uk/news/newsrelease070708b.htm

Hand-held mobile phone blockers and Body Orifice Security Scanners (’BOSS chairs’) are being introduced into all prisons next year.  What impact do you think the implementation of technological devices such as these will have on the movement of drugs within prisons?

‘What recovery means to me’

What does your recovery mean to you? Does it mean you are no longer constrained by negative actions in your life? Does it mean you have rebuilt relationships that you had otherwise lost? Has your recovery meant you are holding down a job without constantly calling in sick days? Maybe you can walk through a park and notice the environment around you, rather than just thinking about your destination. Maybe you have achieved ambitions you thought were pipe dreams. Perhaps all of the above. What does your recovery mean to you?