Gay men and lesbians are putting their health at risk by abusing drugs

Gay men and lesbians are far more likely to put their health at risk from drug misuse than heterosexuals, according to a Home Office-funded report that suggests there is an urgent need to rethink how addiction agencies and doctors support minority groups.

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Number of babies born addicted to drugs shoots up in Capital

Statistics from the Northern Ireland Drug Addicts Index 2009

This statistical bulletin summarises information on all those persons registered on the Northern Ireland Drug Addicts Index at 31 December 2009 in concurrence with the Misuse of Drugs (Notification of and Supply to Addicts) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 1973. It also contains information on those added to, or removed from, the Addicts Index during 2009. It has been produced from the Addicts Index Database by the Public Health Information & Research Branch (PHIRB) on behalf of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety.

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Addiction: “Drugs, Brains, and Behavior - The Science of Addiction”

Throughout much of the last century, scientists studying drug abuse labored in the shadows of powerful myths and misconceptions about the nature of addiction. When science began to study addictive behavior in the 1930s, people addicted to drugs were thought to be morally flawed and lacking in willpower. Those views shaped society’s responses to drug abuse, treating it as a moral failing rather than a health problem, which led to an emphasis on punitive rather than preventative and therapeutic actions. Today, thanks to science, our views and our responses to drug abuse have changed dramatically. Groundbreaking discoveries about the brain have revolutionized our understanding of drug addiction, enabling us to respond effectively to the problem.

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The surprising truth about heroin and addiction.

In 1992 The New York Times carried a front-page story about a successful businessman who happened to be a regular heroin user. It began: “He is an executive in a company in New York, lives in a condo on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, drives an expensive car, plays tennis in the Hamptons and vacations with his wife in Europe and the Caribbean. But unknown to office colleagues, friends, and most of his family, the man is also a longtime heroin user. He says he finds heroin relaxing and pleasurable and has seen no reason to stop using it until the woman he recently married insisted that he do so. ‘The drug is an enhancement of my life,’ he said. ‘I see it as similar to a guy coming home and having a drink of alcohol. Only alcohol has never done it for me.’”

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David & Nic Sheff: A Father & Son’s Journey in Addiction

Addiction, Crime and Insurgency: The Transnational Threat of Afghan Opium

Afghanistan is responsible for more than 90 per cent of the world’s opium poppy cultivation and, every year, around 375 tons of Afghan heroin enter the global market. The world’s deadliest drug flows from this poor, unstable and landlocked country through the Balkans and Central Asia to major heroin markets in the Russian Federation and Western Europe. The report Addiction, Crime and Insurgency: The Transnational Threat of Afghan Opium shows how this is spreading addiction, enriching criminal groups, deepening corruption and empowering insurgents in Afghanistan and beyond.

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HSE South to ‘eliminate’ addiction waiting lists

A major investment in addictions services involving additional methadone clinics in Cork City, Tralee, Waterford, Wexford, Carlow and Kilkenny was announced this week by Pat Healy, the Regional Director of Operations, HSE South.

The new clinics will ‘eliminate waiting lists and ensure that the National Drug Strategy targets of waiting times of less than one month will be met,’ the Executive said.
A total of 165 people will receive methadone maintenance in these clinics.

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A day with a drug addict in Kenya

Drug use and abuse is rampant. And it is a growing trend in various parts of Kenya

What are high-risk situations an addict should avoid?

There are many high-risk situations when you are recovering.